Tarnished Gold
by Gold Magikarp
Summary: When Makoto Naegi opened the old school building's doors, he expected a lot of things. He expected an angry mob, or a polluted wasteland, or even an army of robot death bears, something remotely normal! Not...this. Not a blank white landscape with his dead friends before him, or two gods offering him a new life in another world. Rated M because of language, gore, and sexual themes.
1. Chapter 0: The Koi and the Waterfall

**Chapter 0: The Koi and the Waterfall**

* * *

 _In a village in the continent of Anima, there is a legend passed down from generation to generation._

* * *

A pale golden-haired figure ran across the village, seeming to be in a hurry, for what, almost no one knew.

If one looked at the figure, judging by the lithe frame, feminine features, and slightly short stature, they would have figured that whoever was running was a teenage girl hurrying to wherever she needed to go.

They would be nearly correct, were it not for the fact that the running figure was a boy. Almost no one believed him, but he was a boy, dammit! He ran through the village, headed for a hill just on the edge of the outskirts.

"Come on, Fish Boy! We don't have all day!"

Kin Sakana huffed and puffed as he ran up the hill, where his friends lounged on top, waiting impatiently for him. An extremely rare Golden Koi Faunus, a kind of Faunus nearly non-existent in the world of Remnant, he was more inclined to things like swimming and diving, not running up hills at full speed. "I-" he wheezed a bit, before continuing, "I'm here! I- oh god my lungs, I'm here!"

"About time you got here!" A tall, black-haired boy grumbled. Roland Onyx was a lean, athletic-looking young man with a bad attitude, and a penchant for trouble. He had been smoking cigarettes with _Fire Dust_ in them when he had been caught by Kin, who had swore not to tell others. This, and the fact that Kin seemed like an easy target, eventually led to them becoming friends...somehow. His parents were hunters, leading to Roland knowing quite a few survival tips, which he shared with the few friends he knew were interested.

"Come on, Kin! We've been waiting for almost an hour now! Seriously, what were you so busy with?" Opal and Coral Guinness were blue-haired dainty Cat Faunus twins, who wore dresses and frolicked in spring and fulfilled almost every female stereotype out there. They also controlled the village teenage population with iron fists, and pulled the strings behind every rumor, gossip, and story in the village. You couldn't so much as _whisper_ without them knowing.

"I'm sorry, guys! Dad had me working overtime at the bakery because of the tourist influx, you gotta believe me! Come on, Lapis, Beryl, you saw how many people were there, back me up here!" Kin whined, turning pleading amber eyes at the girls in question.

"You had your chance, Kin~ Not our fault that you're late~" Lapis LaBleu and Beryl Vermillion were originally the only children who had unlocked their Aura in the village, before they unlocked their friend's Auras as well. While Lapis was thin and fit, Beryl looked like he had a few too many fries while eating. The two were Faunus, Mongoose and Snake respectively, yet got along most of the time. Their parents being Hunters, they knew combat and swordplay like the back of their hands. They were also the only ones in their group with Semblances. Lapis with her limited hydrokinesis, and Beryl with his extremely limited crystal creation.

Kin just pouted, before turning his puppy eyes at the last three of his friends for support.

"Those puppy eyes won't work on us, Kin. You of all people should know that." Jasper Green, Lilith Peridot, and Don Obsidian were the cliché group of the nerd, the jock, and the antisocial guy. Jasper was a star athlete, considered the best rugby player in the school, while Lilith was the valedictorian on their grade, and a prodigy with all things math. Don was a loner, preferring to sit alone and read, when he had the chance. The three were the virtual opposites of each other on both instances, yet got along like chicken, pasta, and tomatoes. Kin had asked himself how they became friends with him. To this day, he still didn't know.

"C-Come on, guys! I was super busy! You saw how many people were swarming the bakery!" Kin vainly pleaded, to no effect. They just stared at him with cold eyes, before Jasper smirked.

"When we get back, you're going in the dress." Kin paled at what Coral had said, staring at the evil expression on her face.

"N-Not the dress! I'm begging you! I've already got enough guys trying to pick me up, I don't need them to see me in that...monstrosity!" Unmoved, the others just began to smirk at the thought of the pretty boy in a dress, shyly walking through the village square.

Roland's nose began to bleed.

"Hey! Roland, don't you dare think weird thoughts, you damn pervert! Whatever you're thinking of, it's not happening!" Kin squeaked, his dignity crumbling before him. Well, there went his reputation as an average person who everyone should ignore. And he had spent so long building it too...

"Quit sulking, man. We need to go gather some wood for the celebration tomorrow! I heard the adults are gonna let us help them gather supplies!" Kin raised an eyebrow at Opal's excited tone.

"Opal, we're eleven and twelve-year old kids, and most of the adults are horrific in a fight. How are we gonna survive gathering supplies in the forest?!" He asked.

"Lapis and Beryl's parents are coming. I think they called for backup as well. We should have Hunters from the mainland coming soon."

"Oh." He didn't have a response to that.

"Anyways, we're leaving soon. They said we should pack some stuff in case the weather turns bad and we have to camp. A knife, some rations, the basics. Maybe a book. Kin, yor parents are from Mistral, you got any good folk stories to tell us later?" Roland tilted his head at Kin, an inquisitive expression on his face. Kin shrugged.

"Maybe one or two, if I can remember any. Now come on, clock's ticking."

* * *

 _The legend says that there was once a group of koi fish who swam down a river during the summer, to where and for what, it is never specified._

* * *

They had gone down a nearby cliff into the edge of the forest to scavenge for supplies. The Hunters had took turns standing guard while a single Hunter would escort up to three kids into the forest to collect supplies for the festival. The day was slowly going into sunset, and many were prepping a campsite.

"Hey, guys! I found some firewood!" Kin called as he walked to the campsite, a Huntress walking besides him. With him, his friends, and a handful of Hunters supervising them, the group was mostly safe from any Grimm, and the large number of foragers had managed to gather quite a few supplies for the festival. At the rate they were going, they should have been able to finish before nightfall. The clouds did seem to be darkening, though...

"Good work, Sakana. The clouds are getting darker, and there's been thunder in the distance. Considering the distance we are from the village, we may need to camp for the night before heading back tomorrow. The others are setting up tents as we speak, and we have some meat cooking by a fire, if you want some." Kin nodded. He could see the logic behind the choice. Waving at the Hunter (she was from the Kingdoms and he couldn't remember her name for the life of him.), he headed towards the partially set-up tents, where he could see Roland and Don struggling with a pole. Walking over, he waved and looked at them trying to fit the pole through the tent hole.

"Need a hand?" He asked.

"Nah, we- _son of a bitch_ -we got this. Go get something to- _go in, dammit!_ -go get something to eat, man." Shrugging, Kin just nodded before leaving to get some food. Roland sounded fine, apart from the angry mumbling. Besides, he was starving, and the roasting meat smelled delicious. Heading over to the fire, he sat down and watched the underdone beef cut slowly roast, barely stopping himself from drooling.

"You hungry, little lady?" A scruffy man plopped next to him, his cloak floating down as he drank what smelled like bourbon from a hip flask. He wore a red, tattered cloak, a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. There was a ring on his right index finger, two rings on his right ring finger, and a more visible tilted cross necklace on his neck. Kin bristled at being called a girl, but was too tired and hungry to correct him right now.

"Been gathering firewood and skinning animals for almost the whole afternoon now. I'm getting really hungry after all that work." The man chuckled.

"At your age, girls like you should be worrying about the new fashion trends and who to date, not skinning cows and hunting for supplies," He grumbled, taking a swig from the flask, "The Kingdoms don't send many supplies to villages, but they usually send enough for everyone."

"Yeah, well, the village is pretty far from any of the Kingdoms. By the time the supplies get here, they're usually crushed, expired, or completely destroyed. It's either forage or starve," Kin's expression turns somber for a few seconds, as if remembering some painful memory that he wanted to stay buried, "And I don't think anyone here wants to starve."

"...Welcome to Remnant. Everyone grows up too fast in this world..." The man, noticing Kin's sorrow, held out his flask to him, and winked, "Wanna drink, little lady? It'll be our little secret. You know, to try out the wonderful world of alcohol." Kin scoffed.

"Pass it here, old man. I could use a little sip right now." Ignoring the indignant squawk from the Hunter, he took the flask and downed a swig of bourbon, sighing at the burn of high-quality liquor running down his throat, passing the flask back, "That's some good stuff to drink. Vacuo Silver Tongue?"

"How'd you know?" The man rasped, looking at him suspiciously.

"My father drinks a bit every now and then. Sometimes he forgets to put the good stuff away. Don't worry, he doesn't beat me, and he's not an alcoholic." Kin reassured the man, who was looking at him suspiciously, but nodded and turned to take a swig. "Oh, and I'm a boy, you know."

The man did a perfect spit-take into the fire, quickening the roasting process as he sputtered.

"Y-You're-" He coughed a bit, "You're joking." He choked out. Kin raised an eyebrow at him.

"You sure?" His smile turned flirtatious as an utterly evil idea crossed his mind, "I can take off my pants and show you if you want~" The man just sputtered some more as Kin smiled at him innocently, trying not to break down into laughter, "Did I say something wrong?~"

Ah, the perks of being underage with a mature mind. Nobody expected him to be like that. Nobody.

Suckers.

* * *

 _As they swam downstream, they encountered a giant waterfall blocking their path, with no way around it._

* * *

The foragers had long since eaten their meals and put out the fire, retreating into their tents for the night. Outside, it began to pour, as the weather worsened. No doubt that if they hadn't secured what they had collected, they would have to look for supplies all over again.

Thunder crackled, and the winds blew on the tent, almost pushing them off of their support poles. A howl or a snarl came from outside every now and then. The storm must have forced some Grimm to migrate through the campsite in search of shelter. Here was to hoping they didn't get into any of the tents.

Trying to ignore the (admittedly terrifying) combination of a thunderstorm and a swarm of Grimm wandering outside their flimsy tents, Kin closed his eyes, and tried to go to sleep, wondering how the hell the others could sleep past this.

Outside, the storm struck near the top of the cliff, and a tiny spout of water began to pour from the hole created by it.

Of course, no one would know this. They wouldn't know until morning, when the water spout would have blocked off their only exit.

* * *

 _Undeterred, the school of koi swam towards the waterfall, leaping up the waterfall in an attempt to climb it._

* * *

When Kin woke up that day, he was feeling surprisingly well-rested. He sat up and stretched, yawning as he walked out of the tent...and all his good feelings proceeded to shoot themselves in the nuts and be whisked away to God-knows-where as he beheld the sight before him.

There was a waterfall blocking the exit.

There was a _fucking waterfall_ blocking the exit.

 _There was a fucking giant waterfall blocking the only exit they had._

"You've got to be shitting me." Kin eloquently grumbled. Behind him, the other foragers had began to exit their tents and were now openly staring at the waterfall. The waterfall had been stopping others from moving through a pathway leading up a cliff without getting soaked. Not only that, but the path, which was a dirt and stone pathway, had become unstable from the storm, and was barely usable without the waterfall. With the waterfall in the way, no one would be able to safely get up the cliff.

"I...How did that even get there?!" Beryl screamed, similar questions coming from behind him. The Hunters had taken one glance at the spontaneous waterfall and tried to locate what had caused it.

"Hey, look!" A Huntsman pointed upwards, where the water was coming from. There was a large hole in the cliff, where water seemed to pour from. "The lightning from the storm must have struck there while we were asleep!"

"What kind of namby-pamby bad luck bullshit is this?!" Another cried in frustration.

"Watch your language, we have children here!"

"SON OF A FUCKING PIECE OF DRIED UP SHIT COVERED IN MAGGOTS AND ROADKILL I'M GOING TO FUCKING-" Roland's voice came from behind Kin, and the Hunters just stared at him.

"...Watch my language, huh?"

"...Just...just shut up."

Kin stared at the massive hole in the cliff, an expression of disbelief as he stood there. The village had been sitting next to an underground freshwater spring, and nobody knew. Now, the only way to leave without ruining everything they had collected was to either destroy the spring or get help. Either option seemed to be impossible right now, because of the waterfall.

Well, at least they had a backup water supply for now.

"Damn, kid. Looks like real bad luck." The slightly familiar voice caused Kin to turn, where the same Huntsman who had offered him a drink stood, looking guiltily at the psuedo-waterfall. "How the hell are we gonna get back now?"

"I don't know. The cliff should have footholds, so one of us ca climb it and get others to help us." Kin muttered.

"Oh really? And where are those footholds?" Kin pointed at the waterfall, "...Oh shit."

"Yup."

The Hunter groaned, "Well, how the hell are we going to get up there now? None of the Hunters can leave because of the Grimm being close by, and I don't think you kids could possibly climb a cliff with the way you are!"

"I...might have an idea." The Hunter looked up, desperation painted all over his face.

"Come on, kid, tell me."

"You're not gonna like it."

"Try me."

Kin told the Hunter. He didn't like it.

* * *

 _Day after day, the school of koi relentlessly swam, trying to climb the waterfall, drawing the attention of demons who roamed the forest where the waterfall resided. As the number of koi lessened with every day, and every death from straining their hearts , the demons mocked the koi, jeering and howling at their futile determination._

 _And still, they swam._

* * *

"I don't like it, kid."

"I know."

"This is a horrible idea."

"I know."

"You could get yourself killed falling from that height."

"I have Aura to protect me, but I know."

"...Be careful, alright? I don't want to explain to your parents why I have to carry your corpse back to the village."

Kin looked at the Hunter, and who looked back, obviously worried for his well-being.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd fallen for me, old man." Kin snickered, before unsheathing a primitive blade. The thing couldn't even be called a knife, seeing as it was just a blade with linen wrapped around two pieces of wood as a makeshift hilt. There were three odd needle-like protrusions coming out of the other end of the blade. "Don't worry. I'll get help soon."

A growl came from nearby, and the Hunter's expression turned serious.

"Be quick. We're about to have company." Nodding, Kin walked towards the waterfall. He took off his shirt, revealing a feminine figure, slender yet sturdy arms, and lean muscle...and golden koi scales lining parts of his upper arms, and down his sides. His scales glittered and shone in the sunlight, giving his a slight golden aura of radiance surrounding him as he walked towards the cliff. He was aware of the others staring at how feminine he looked, to the point where he could feel their gazes burning a hole onto his back, but he pushed that thought to the side as he stretched to prepare. Taking a deep breath, he leaped into the waterfall, and felt around for a foothold.

Upon feeling one, he grabbed it, and began to climb up a waterfall.

* * *

 _The school of koi swam to the jeers of the demons, their numbers dwindling and dwindling, until only one remained. The koi had witnessed his fellow koi die from exhaustion, had felt the weight trying and trying and failing and failing over and over within his heart._

 _And still, he swam._

* * *

The moment Kin leaped into the waterfall, the sheer pressure damn near pushed him to the ground. Struggling to stay upright, he covered his eyes with his arms and walked forward towards the cliff wall. Upon seeing a foothold, he slid his fingers into it. Finding another, he slid his other hand's fingers into the groove, pulling himself upwards, as he began to climb the cliff.

The water was cold, and pressed down on him like liquid cement. Every movement made him want to give up and let go. Every time he let go of a foothold to move to a higher one, he was nearly pushed off by the flow of water. Every time his foot pushed him upwards, he nearly slipped from the pressure bearing down on him. His eyes couldn't open for fear of getting water into his eyes, which would cause him to let go of the cliff to rub his eyes. His ears could only hear the roar of the pouring water. His hands had nearly gone numb, and his mind blank as he scaled the cliff. Occasionally, he poked his head out to take a breath before diving back in, giving the impression that he was actually climbing the waterfall, to the amazement of the Hunters and kids.

Below, everyone watched the boy (or girl, they still couldn't tell) do the impossible and scale a damn waterfall, before someone cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Alright, people!" The voice of Qrow Branwen rang out, as he took out Harbinger, a grim look on his face, "We have Grimm inbound. Our jobs are to protect the children and supplies while the little la-while the _kid_ gets help. Every Hunter take your weapons out _now_." Nodding their heads, various weapons were unsheathed and mecha-shifted into gun forms. Behind him, Qrow noticed that a few kids had unsheathed their hunting knives and fallen into combat positions, "The hell are you kids doing?"

"We have Aura and combat training." Two of the kids said, a blue-haired girl and redhead boy respectively, "We can put up a fight if we want to. We also unlocked our friends' Auras in case something like this happens."

"I have Fire Dust and knife skills. I should be fine for a while." The third said, a cigarette clenched between his teeth. Upon looking closely, Qrow saw the glow of Fire Dust in in it, and was about to retort, but upon seeing the serious expressions on their faces, shrugged. To each their own. It wasn't like they would actually listen to him if he told them to get back.

"Alright. Keep yourselves and the others out of trouble. Take down any Grimm as fast as possible. No flashy tricks or showing off, that could end up with you dead." The three nodded before looking around.

As if on cue, nearby bushes began to rustle, and red glowing eyes glared at them in mindless hatred.

"Look alive, people. We have company," Qrow called, just as the first Beowulf lunged at him.

* * *

 _The koi swam faster and faster, leaping up the waterfall in an impossible display of determination and power. The demons' jeers slowly ebbed away as they watched the koi defy the laws of the world, the laws of the gods, the laws that had made him so very weak, and climbed the waterfall._

 _The koi seemed exhausted, his scales growing dull and his eyes losing focus. It seemed that should he stop, he would die from exhaustion, a painless, merciful death compared to the trial up continuing his vain mission._

 _And still, he swam._

* * *

Kin had lost track of how long he had been climbing. His limbs burned, his eyes ached, and his ears were pounding from the water pressure. Dimly, he heard the sounds of combat below him, and quickened the pace.

"Hey! Where are they! They should have been back by now!"

Wait...he recognized that voice. Yeah, he knew that voice!

That voice belonged to the village baker. His _dad._ He climbed faster.

"C'mon, Seido. The others have looked everywhere, and are gonna go down to the forest after we all meet up here." His mother. His mother was here, "The storm must have stopped them from coming back, I'm sure they're fine."

He climbed even faster.

As he climbed, he heard more voices joining his parents. The librarian, the shop owners, the damn _teachers_. Everyone in the village who could was looking for them.

He had to get up the cliff.

He had to help them.

Ignoring the screams of pain his body sent him, he climbed faster and faster, nearing the top of the waterfall as below, the Grimm were eradicated.

* * *

 _The koi swam up the waterfall, nearing the top, to the shock of the demons. His golden scales having dulled, and his eyes unfocused as he swam up the current. This was impossible. It was unachievable, it was simply unheard of._

 _And yet, it was happening right before them._

 _Before the demons' eyes, the koi leaped out one last time...and landed at the very top of the waterfall he had sought to climb for so very long._

* * *

Kin's thoughts were a jumble of climbing, surviving, and not fucking up. Literally. He coul not afford to think of anything else but scaling the cliff.

'Climbfasterclimbfastergethelpclimbtothetopclimbfaster-'

This train of thought was all that remained in Kin's head as he neared the top, to the point where he noticed a ray of sunlight pierce through the water.

He was close.

He was _close_.

He reached out, and with the very last strength he had, threw himself upwards, and over the waterfall. His hand slipped, and he began to fall, his eyes widening...before, in a quick, and fluid movement, he unsheathed his blade and buried it into the dirt on top of the cliff, dragging himself up and flopping his near-unresponsive body on solid land.

His lungs burned, his muscles screamed at him, and yet, he knew that there was one last thing he had to do.

Ignoring every nerve telling him to shut up and rest, he opened his mouth and took in a deep breath.

* * *

 _The moment the koi landed, he began to change. The gods had witnessed the sheer defiance and determination the koi had displayed, and, impressed, rewarded the koi with a gift of their own._

 _The koi elongated, growing sharp teeth and claws,their scales growing more brilliant with every passing second. A golden flash pierced the sky, and as the light ebbed away, a glorious golden dragon rose from the water where the koi once was, letting loose a mighty roar._

* * *

"HEEEEEEEY! OVER HEEEEEEEERE!" Kin screamed at the top of his lungs, flaring his Aura as a visual guide or the search party. Turning in shock, they ran to him, helping him up as he gasped for air, "The...the others...they're at the bottom of the cliff..." He wheezed.

"Are they OK?" His father asked, and Kin nodded.

"Beowulf pack...attacked us, but...we're fine...Hunters killing them now." Kin rasped out. Nodding, his father and mother turned around, supporting him as they explained what he had said.

At the bottom of the cliff, the Beowulf pack had been mercilessly crushed, and Qrow had been surprised, yet pleased, to see that the three kids had held true to their word and killed any Grimm that attempted to attack the kids. He had began to ponder what had caused the Beowulf pack to notice them when they were out of hearing range, when he was pulled from his thoughts as a golden flash of light shone from atop the cliff behind him. Turning, he saw that the others, who had been resting, were also looking up in shock, and he couldn't help but laugh when he saw what they were really looking at.

"He did it!" He cried, "The kid actually did it!"

That day, after everyone had been safely extracted from the forest, the festival the village held celebrated two things. The first was to celebrate the village's founding from when explorers had mapped this place as an area rich with fertile soil and access to nearby cities. Without those explorers, the idea of traveling here would have never existed on other people's minds.

The second was to celebrate the day a young boy, frail and weak, yet defiant and powerful in his own way, did the impossible...and climbed up a waterfall to call for help.

* * *

 _The dragon soon left the river and forest, traveling to places unknown. But the demons and humans who had witnessed the miraculous feat, would forever remember what the koi had done, and what he had become. And the dragon, thought nobody knows how, will always return to where he had conquered what was thought to be impossible, and would return to the same waterfall every year, should he have the chance._

* * *

It had been a week after the incident. Kin had become a bit of a local celebrity, and was more well-known due to his feat. Almost everything had gone back to normal. In fact, not much really happened afterwards. The only thing that happened after that was when he had to barricade himself in the house to keep his friends from stuffing him into a dress and making him walk across the town square. Eventually, they gave up, but Kin could still see them plotting.

As the days passed, a thought began to gnaw at Kin, he began to think about what he had done. As he thought, he began to ponder a decision he knew would change his life. It wasn't an easy decision, either. It was the type of decision that wouldn't seem to leave you until you reached the answer you truly wanted, and he knew it. After a full day of thinking, Kin reached his answer, and decided that he would tell his parents what he wanted the next day, during breakfast.

At breakfast, when Kin plopped onto a chair next to his mother, who was reading the paper, and his father, who sipped a homemade espresso, he opened his mouth, and blurted out what he wanted.

"Mom, Dad, I want to become a Hunter."

Seido Sakana choked on his espresso, and Ginsei Sakana nee Ryuna accidentally ripped the newspaper in half as both of them stared at their son in shock.

"You _what?!_ "

"I want to become a Hunter." Kin was undeterred, and continued eating his pancakes as if he was discussing the weather and not the fact that he wanted to go into a life-threatening career for the rest of his teenage and adult life.

His parents gawked at how flippant he was being, and tried to stutter responses.

"B-B-But it's dangerous!"

"So many Grimm out there that you'll have to fight!"

"And the racism from some of the humans!"

"And the White Fang trying to recruit you!"

"Kin, are you-"

"I'm sure, Dad. I really want to be a Hunter." Kin replied, drinking a glass of milk after finishing his pancakes. He didn't even seem bothered or nervous at what he had said.

"...Can you at least tell me why?" Kin paused at this.

"I...want to help others. I want to show that I, a Fish Faunus, considered one of the weakest kinds of Faunus in Remnant, was able to help others. I want to grow stronger, and help the village whenever I get the chance if I ever come back."

"...And the real reason?" Kin tensed up, but sighed, as if expecting the question.

"...Strength in weakness. Power though fraility. I want to show the world that by being very weak, people can be very strong." The conviction, the determination in his voice made Seido pause. Somehow, he knew that his son would become a Hunter whether Seido liked it or not, and that he was just asking him for permission. Turning to his wife, he saw that Ginsei had also reached the same comclusion.

Kin was going to become a Hunter, and there was nothing that would stop him.

"I'm assuming that you got an offer already?" Kin opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, there was a knock on the door. Seido got up, and walked over, opening the door.

There was a tanned blonde standing at the door. He wore brown cargo shorts with a dark brown belt, black shoes, a red bandana on his left arm, and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off. A metal spaulder, leather vambrace, and a brown fingerless glove adorned his right arm, which he was rubbing nervously.

"Hello, my name's Taiyang Xiao Long, and I'm a professor at Signal Academy. Can I speak with Kin Sakana, please?"

* * *

 _And that is the legend of the Koi and the Waterfall._

* * *

 **A/N: I have so many plot bunnies that it's fucking ridiculous. Send help. Please.**

 **Anyways, I'm deleting my previous two stories, because until I can get my shit together, I'm not going to be able to continue them. Maybe I'll restart them one day, but it won't be anytime soon. I'm so sorry, I really am.**

 **Anyways, welcome to my latest mistake. Here's to hoping I can fucking _finish it._ But yeah, new OC, new scenario, and new fandom. I hope it meshes well.**

 **If there are any people looking to be a beta reader, you know people who will be beta readers, send them here. I'm desperate.**

 **If you have any questions, then ask me in the reviews, or PM me.**

 **I'll be changing my name soon, so if you see a notification from Fanfiction about someone you don't know, it might be me.**

 **Anyways, that is all I have to say. Without further ado, this is Evil Odium, name to changed changed in the future, signing out. Peace!**


	2. Chapter 1: Door to the Unknown

**Before the chapter starts, I just want to point out that the previous chapter _was_ the correct prologue. It was meant to give insight on an OC I've created for this very story. The story is supposed to occur in chronological order, so chronologically, that had to happen first. The next time we see Kin (which is very soon), he will be much older than the last time.**

 **That, plus I couldn't think of a good summary that didn't make the OC sound like he was the main character, which he isn't.**

 **Sorry for the confusion, but that was the only way I could introduce Kin without making him look as a hastily slapped together OC, a Gary Stu, or a self-insert this early in the story, and I really wanted to get his introduction out of the way.**

 **With that out of the way, on with the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Door to the Unknown**

" _Situated in some nebulous distance, I do what I do so that the universal balance of which I am a part of may remain a balance."_

 _-Antonio Porchia_

* * *

It was over.

Junko Enoshima was dead.

She had activated her own gruesome execution, and reduced herself to a bloody red paste on national TV, but she was dead. She was dead, and Makoto Naegi held the remote that would release him and his friends from this hellhole after so long. That was what mattered.

Giddy with anticipation, his palms slick with sweat, he held the remote in his hand, the others standing behind him. The gatling guns were trained on them, but wouldn't shoot, per their programming. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. A hand fell onto his right shoulder, and he turned around, to the face of Kyoko Kirigiri looking at him in worry.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and Makoto sighed, his hands growing still.

"I...Yeah, yeah. It's just hard to believe that everything's finally over." He looked at the remote, still splattered with some of Junko's blood and guts, and gulped, "Where's Byakuya-san and Toko-san?"

"They've gone to grab some food and water for after we leave. Hiro-san is packing some clothes and essentials for survival." Kyoko rolled her eyes, "For all that the man makes himself look like an idiot, he's surprisingly smart at survival topics."

Makoto smiled, "Remember when he managed to name every type of edible mushroom in the nearby forests? I swear, he could have been the Ultimate Survivalist instead." Kyoko chuckled at this, but her expression soon fell, to Makoto's sorrow.

"...So many have died here because of Junko. And even when she died, she got what she wanted..." Kyoko looked sullen for a second, before shaking her head, "We should wait a bit. Asahina-san is...she's saying her goodbyes to Sakura." Makoto nodded. This was the place where so many of their memories, good and bad, had been made. Even if they had forgotten so much about them, it would make sense that they say goodbye to their deceased friends.

"When we get out...there's a shovel in the second floor storage room. Can you go get it? I'll watch the turrets."

"Makoto, where are you going with this?" Her question was not filled with the same cold apathy like when they had first met, but rather, genuine curiosity.

"They don't deserve to be left rotting away in this damn building. They deserve a grave, or a coffin, and at least something for them to rest, dammit!" Makoto's hand tightened around the remote, and angry tears threatened to fall from his eyes, before he took a deep breath to calm himself, "Kyoko...please. Can you get the shovel?" Kyoko sighed, but nodded and quickly left, not wanting to drag out painful memories.

"Hm. Are we still waiting for the others?" A voice dripping with confidence and authority came from behind Makoto, and he didn't need to turn to know that Byakuya had joined them. He wore a pricey backpack filled with canned foods and water bottles. Behind him, Toko carried a less expensive satchel filled with medical supplies and juice. The two had changed into cleaner clothes, and Toko was furiously gnawing on her left thumbnail while staring at the turrets.

"W-W-What's taking them so long?! It's n-not like there's much to loot now." Toko growled, gulping as she kept glancing at the turrets. "T-Those damn guns make me so nervous..."

"Come now, Fukawa. As much as I want to drag them here, they deserve their own time alone." Byakuya's expression turned somber for a second, before he straightened, "Yasuhiro is still gathering supplies, and Asahina is..." He trailed off.

"...Yes, Master Byakuya." Toko muttered, her own face twisting with emotional pain as the memory of Sakura's suicide being revealed flashed across her mind.

"Hey, guys!" Yasuhiro's voice came from the hallway, as he walked towards them, a satchel filled with basic essentials, and supplies to survive outside and a huge grin on his face as he headed towards them. If one looked closely, they would see that the grin would seem to be strained, and that Yasuhiro had large bags under his eyes. A testament to how many sleepless he had spent while the killing game was going on. He held up the bag and waved it around, "I found some stuff in the Mastermind's Hideout! Junko had a map and gas masks and everything!"

"Alright, Yasuhiro. You got some adequate supplies, good for you." Byakuya snarked, sneering at Yasuhiro, who just dropped his head down and groaned at Byakuya's condescension.

"Come on, man, I tried. Gimme a little credit here." He whined, looking like a sad drug-addled puppy for some reason. Makoto had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing at the mental image of Yasuhiro's face on a puppy going through a bad high.

"'You tried' is a horrible excuse, but seeing as we are about to escape, I will let it slide," Byakuya replied. Before Yasuhiro could reply, footsteps came from down the room behind him, and Makoto saw Asahina walk down the hallway, before stopping near them. Her eyes were bloodshot, and there were tear streaks running down her face, but she held a resolve near unparalleled on her face, and nodded at Makoto.

"We're all here, Makoto. Let's get out of here." She said, as Kyoko returned with the shovel and nodded.

Gulping, Makoto raised the remote and pressed the 'Deactivate' button. Almost immediately, klaxons began to sound as the turrets deactivated and began to retract into the ceiling. The massive metal doors, rusted from disuse, began to move, gears grinding and screeching as they were pulled to the side, emitting a bright white light that pierced the darkness permeating the hallway. Makoto closed his eyes, basking in the light, joyful tears running down his face as he prepared to take his first step into the-

* * *

White.

There was nothing out there. Just a blank white canvas of a landscape with nothing there. Turning his head, Makoto stared in disbelief, his mouth gaping open. He had expected a fre broken buildings, or a mob, more Monokumas, _something,_ dammit! Did Junko manage to destroy reality or something?! Behind him, similar expressions could be found on everyone's faces, confirming that he wasn't the only one seeing what he saw. Nothing. They had struggled, almost went insane with paranoia and bloodlust, gone through hell itself and back all for a literal load of pure _nothing_.

No, wait. There was something.

Makoto looked closer. It seemed to be a large shogi table, with the pieces too far to specify, but in large quantity for a shogi game. There was a small crowd surrounding the table, and two figures could be seen playing. Seeing nothing but the figures, and the table, he squinted, trying to see exactly who the figures were.

"...Makoto...here now...Hope...Remnant..." Wait what? Why had he heard his name from that direction. Curious, yet still cautious, he slowly walked towards the table. Noticing that the table was extremely far away, and walking would take a long time, his walk began a jog, which eventually became a sprint when he saw that jogging wouldn't work either.

As he ran, the figures in the distance began to grow clearer and clearer, and his heart began to pound faster as he recognized the clothes some of them wore. No, it was impossible! They were dead! He had personally seen their bodies! As if to prove him wrong, one of the figures turned towards Makoto upon hearing his footsteps, and he nearly tripped over his foot as she waved, her face lighting up.

"Hey! Makoto! Over here! Heeey!" Sayaka Maizono, impossibly, unimaginably, called for him to come over. Her eyes were bright, and full of tears at seeing him, and his mind, already reeling from the sight of her being alive somehow, spun.

Still, he ran towards Sayaka, tears running down his face. He could hear footsteps behind him, indicating that the others were running after him. Sayaka's cry had alerted the others, and they in turn spun around, their mouths falling open at the sight of Makoto running towards them. He could hear Asahina gasp in shock, and her pace quicken, before she sped past Makoto, and leaped arms first into Sakura, tears streaming down her face as she began to cry at the sight of her best friend.

"Y-You're real," He heard her gasp, "You're really real!"

"Yes," Sakura rumbled as she hugged Asahina back, tears in her eyes, "Yes, I'm real."

It was like the floodgates had been blown open. The survivors charged forward and tackled their dead friends, cheering and hugging each other. Makoto had hugged Sayaka while Leon had hesitantly walked over and smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up. He quickly fled after glancing at Sayaka. In the background, Chihiro and Mondo were talking to Yasuhiro and sharing jokes, while Mukuro, of all people, had taken Kyoko aside (much to her chagrin) and was hurriedly whispering something to her. Byakuya and Toko were speaking with Ishimaru and Hifumi, while he saw Celeste staring intently at the shogi board, as if she had completely immersed herself into the game.

"H-How did you get here?!" Sayaka exclaimed, still hugging Makoto. "It shouldn't be possible to access this dimension!"

"I don't know, actually. We opened the doors after beating Junko and-"

"I know. We all know. When we all died, we were transported here, and watched the killing game occur," Suddenly, she pecked Makoto on the cheek and smiled, "Good job defeating Junko, Makoto~ You saved them, you know!~"

Makoto suddenly looked down, sullen. "I...I couldn't save you, Sayaka. I couldn't save you or Leon or any of the victims and blackened in there. I just-" Sayaka put a finger on his lips to stop him.

"When I died, it was because of my own stupidity. When the others had died, they were manipulated by Junko, or chose to kill themselves, in Sakura's case. Don't blame yourself, Makoto. Please. Be that optimistic hero that beat the big bad villain, for us, OK?" Makoto nodded and hugged her, trying not to cry.

Sayaka just shot a victorious grin behind Makoto's back at Mukuro, who had turned around and was trying not to strangle the air in frustration.

"But...how?" Byakuya asked, as he and Ishimaru walked over, seemingly in their own conversation, "This should have been impossible, we all saw your bodies. I don't get how you're all standing before us right now."

"Ah, that is very simple to explain. It is because of their intervention." Ishimaru gestured to the two figures at the shogi tables, who were playing at lightning speed. Literally. There were sparks coming out of the shogi pieces, and every time one touched the board, it let loose a tiny boom and a small flash of electricity. Celeste had been trying to follow the game as much as she could.

Which obviously wasn't a lot. Her eyes were spinning around, and she seemed to be trying to hold her head in a vain attempt to stop them.

"And I do believe that is checkmate, little brother." Said one of the figures, sliding his Water Buffalo piece across the river and promoting it to a Fire Demon piece. The other figure , the 'little brother', looked at the board and sighed, nodding.

"It was a good match, brother. Well played." The two figures shook hands, and Celeste groaned.

"To think..." She muttered, "...That a simple game of Tenjiku shogi...has rendered me into this pathetic state...simply unheard of..." Makoto wasn't sure how to react to her words, but turned towards the two figures. Before, it had seemed like something had kept him from seeing their features, but now that the game was over, he could clearly see what they looked like now.

The older brother was tall, almost reaching Sakura's height, and was quite thin. He was dressed in a pure white toga, with rings made of light circling his fingers. He was barefoot, had pale skin, and slicked-back hair whiter than pure snow. A sun symbol ticked like a clock behind his head, and his eyes, his irises a swirl of silver and golden, crinkled in amusement at the sight of the survivors' faces, a gentle smile plastered on his face. For some reason, he seemed to float rather than walk, even as his feet were touching the ground.

The younger brother, was not as tall or thin, but seemed more fit, with slight bags under his eyes and a feeling of feral power before him. He wore a disheveled black toga, with orbs of darkness circling around him, like they were in orbit. He wore straw sandals, his skin had a tan seen only on people who often visited beaches during the summer, and his hair was a wild mop so black that it was nearly undefinable, all light seeming to be pulled into it and just...disappear. A shattered moon symbol seemed to go through every lunar phase possible behind his head, and his eyes, pure black, with no signs of sclera or irises, seemed to stare at them with a sort of arrogance nearly unheard of. An arrogant sneer crossed his face, as he watched the survivors.

"Ahem." Makoto's attention was drawn back to the elder brother, as he smiled and began to talk, "Well, this was...unexpected. It seems that even with all odds stacked against you, Makoto Naegi, you have managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat." The younger brother scoffed.

"I will not critique the results, brother, but were he in any other situation, he would have been crushed mercilessly." The younger brother _smiled_ (it felt plain wrong being directed at him), "But that is not why why brought you here."

"Indeed. Makoto Naegi, through defeating Junko Enoshima in psychological combat, and indirectly causing her demise, you have created a vast amount of enemies that will attempt to find and kill you. However, the killing game had caught our attention when it began, and the deceased have begged us to help you, were you to win." The elder brother held out his hand, and a bright white orb appeared in it. "With you having lost nearly everything in your home dimension, we offer you this: Will you accept a second chance at a better life, and come to our world?"

"What." Was Makoto's elaborate reply, as the five survivors behind him choked on air.

"It's simple, really." The younger brother piped up, "We bring you and your friends to our world. Even the dead ones. We can just," He snapped his fingers, and everyone who had died in the killing game seemed to shudder, "Done. They're all alive. Ta-da, presto, and all that mumbo-jumbo."

" _What_." Makoto repeated. Next to him, Sayaka put a hand to her chest, feeling around.

"Oh my God." She muttered, "I have a heartbeat! Everyone, check your pulses!"

Hastily checking their pulses, cries of shock and disbelief rang out when the deceased discovered that, yes, they really were alive again. Makoto just stared at the beings who had brought his friends back to life like it was a magic trick.

"I, you, what-" Makoto stammered.

"We're gods, Makoto." The younger brother said flippantly, "We make reality our bitch on a daily basis."

"B-But-"

"Brother, please stop. I think you broke poor Makoto here."

"I, you, hurgle." At that moment, Makoto decided to do the thing any sane man would have done in this situation.

He fainted.

* * *

"...koto? Makoto? MAKOTO!"

Makoto sat up in his bed (it was strangely comfortable, and his room was more spacious than he remembered), gasping for air, and looked around frantically.

"Sayaka! You wouldn't believe the dream I had! I dreamed that we watched Junko get herself crushed and, and suddenly we were in this white land of nothing, and then I saw you waving at me _wait a second_." He paused, and stared at her, before sighing, "That wasn't a dream, was it?"

"Nope~" Sayaka chirped, grinning as she sat by Makoto, "The others were worried about you and requested that you make your choice later. Want to think about it a little more?"

"I..." He gulped, "...Were there any terms? Anything we had to agree to?" Sayaka shrugged.

"They said that they would tell everyone after you woke up. Wouldn't tell us anything afterwards. I think they've been arranging for something big, though."

"...You think they'll help protect Komaru?"

"Hm?"

"Komaru? My mom. My dad." Makoto looked down, "I want to go, but I also want my family to be safe... I just don't know what I should do..."

"Perhaps I can help with that."

Makoto and Sayaka both yelped and jumped up, a the Edler Brother's voice came from behind them.

"W-W-When did you get there?!" Makoto stammered, sweating profusely. The fact that he was talking to a divine being, one that wasn't of his world, yet was powerful enough to manipulate it, made him nervous. The Elder Brother smiled kindly.

"Do not worry, Makoto. My brother and I have already taken precautions for your worries. Should you or anyone of your friends name people you would like protected, we can bring them into this realm, safe from rioters and Ultimate Despair."

"Wait, seriously?" The Brother nodded, "Can...you bring spirits here?"

The Brother shook his head, "Unfortunately, that is not part of my domain. You will have to speak to my brother about spirits."

"Alright, I...I just need some time to think."

"That is understandable. It is a humongous decision to make. I'll leave you to your thoughts now." And with that, the Brother seemed to break into motes of light and disappear.

"Makoto...Are you fine?" Sayaka, who had been sitting quietly while listening to the conversation, piped up. She looked at Makoto worriedly, and he sighed.

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Sayaka nodded, and quickly hugged him.

"You can talk to me if you need anything, OK?" She said, smiling when he nodded. She got up and quickly left the room, and Makoto flopped onto his back, groaning into the pillow.

He still needed time to think, dammit!

* * *

Sayaka closed the door and sighed, trying to calm her racing heart as she walked away from the room Makoto was in.

"So, had a nice chat?"

Sayaka squeaked, and jumped away from the voice.

"Don't do that! It scares me!" She whined, pouting a bit as she glared at the source of the voice.

"Hmph. And why should I listen to you?" Mukuro Ikasuba replied, glaring at Sayaka with a massive amount of hatred, before she relaxed, "How's Makoto?"

"He'll be fine. He's still shaken about the decision, but he'll bounce back." She looked around, at the house she knew wasn't possibly real, "It's hard to believe that the Brothers just made this house with a literal flick of the wrist."

After Makoto had fainted, the Brothers had flicked their wrists, and chunks of white had reconstructed themselves to become building materials, which then built themselves into an actual house. To say that everyone was shocked would be an understatement.

"Remember when _I_ got here? The first thing I did was try to attack them, and they flicked me back a couple of meters without even looking." Sayaka smirked at the reminder.

"Another reason why Makoto's going to pick me and not you," She snarked, using a hand to flip her hair, "Makoto doesn't like headstrong girls like you."

"WHY YOU LITTLE..." Mukuro growled, but she stopped herself and took several deep breaths, calming herself down, "Well, I don't think Makoto would want a girl who tried to frame him for murder." Sayaka's eye twitched.

"...You do know this means war, right?"

"Bring it, bitch." Mukuro growled.

Makoto Naegi would forever remain curious as to why he felt a shiver run down his back at that very moment.

* * *

It was after half an hour that Makoto left the house, which immediately disassembled itself and merged the remains into the white nothingness. Noticing his presence, the others immediately turned, awaiting his answer. Even Kyoko, who was normally calm and collected, looked at him with a sort of anticipation you'd expect from a hungry puppy waiting for food.

"Well, Makoto? What is your answer?" Came the voice of the Elder Brother, and he suddenly appeared to his left.

"Move for our world, or stay in yours?" The Younger Brother said from his right.

"I..." Makoto started, then paused, "First, before I answer, what about people we want to stay safe?" The Elder seemed to smile at Makoto remembering his words, while the Younger Brother scowled at the question.

"We will bring them to this dimension, and keep them safe from despair. We can provide them with food, shelter, drinks, and more. All you have to do name them." The Elder Brother answered. Makoto smiled to himself at the cheering from his friends.

"Then I'll move on to your world, along with everyone. That is my answer." Makoto replied, "We should start naming who we want safe, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, you should. Please do hurry. The window of opportunity is rapidly closing." At that, a chorus of voices rang out from behind him. He could hear "Kanon Nakajima", "Takaaki Ishimaru", "Yuta Asahina" and more. The Brothers were dutifully taking notes on who was being named, and Makoto waited until they had quieted down, and the Brothers had turned to him.

"And who do you wish to keep safe, Makoto?"

"I want Komaru, Ichirou, and Hibiki Naegi to stay safe. " Makoto asked, his expression suddenly turning pensive, "Is it possible to bring them here? I'd like to see proof that they are brought here safely." The Brothers nodded at his words, and simply held out a hand.

And then they were suddenly there.

Everyone they had named had just simply appeared in front of them, looking confused, before they noticed who was in front of them.

The celebrating was justifiably excessive, but well-deserved. Makoto had been group-hugged by his family, all of which were crying tears of relief. He noticed Sayaka's idol group hugging her, and the Crazy Diamonds comforting their leader. Evidently, they had seen the broadcast.

Celeste and Toko were tending to their pets, and everyone else was being hugged by their friends or family members (though Makoto did notice that Leon was turning blue, and seemed to be extremely nervous.)

After a bit, when everyone had finally quieted down (Didn't mean they were calm, but it was a close second), the Brothers had reappeared and tapped Makoto on the shoulders, causing him to turn around.

"We'll bring them to somewhere else, and explain the situation with them." They said, and Makoto nodded. He wanted them to understand why they would be leaving soon. At least he was able to see them a last time. Noticing the look on his face, the Brothers smiled (though, the Younger Brother looked like he was sneering, for some reason), "Don't worry, they'll be able to visit you if they want to."

"Thanks," Makoto nodded, before the Brothers disappeared with everyone. Makoto turned, and informed the others about what the Brothers would do, and the fact that they could visit if they wanted to. It was about 25 minutes later that the Brothers returned, and everyone in tow. Upon seeing Makoto, Komaru immediately walked over and hugged him.

"You better kick lots of butt where you're going, OK?" Komaru asked, clinging to Makoto like a koala. It was understandable, seeing as her brother would be heading to another world for who knew how long.

"Don't worry, Komaru. Your big brother's got this, OK?" He replied, patting her head and smiling. Komaru just smiled and nodded, her eyes brimming with tears

"Hey...uh, Brothers?" Mondo suddenly said, and Makoto turned to see him nervously looking at the deities, "I know it's kind of a chore for you, but...is it possible if I spoke with my brother for a while?"

The Elder Brother just elbowed the Younger Brother in the side, gesturing at him to do...something. Sighing, the Younger Brother snapped his fingers, and suddenly, Makoto saw a taller, more mature-looking version of Mondo with dark hair, standing before him.

"...Bro?"

"Yo, Mondo! Been a long time, right?"

And then Mondo was crying while his brother's spirit hugged him, apologizing over and over again, while the Crazy Diamonds struggled to hold in tears at the sight of their former leader. It was kind of heartwarming.

They spent the next 15 minutes talking, about the latest trends, and the Tragedy, and what had happened. Mondo informed Daiya on what was going to happen, to which Daiya nodded proudly, and slapped his brother on the back.

"My brother, the best damn biker on Earth, going to another dimension!" He laughed, wiping away joyful tears, "Give 'em hell, bro!"

"You got it, bro!"

Daiya floated over to a nervous Ishimaru, who stared back and gulped.

"You're my bro's kyoudai, aren't ya?" He asked Ishimaru, who only saluted and nodded, "You better take good care of him, alright? He's a knucklehead at times, but he's got a good heart."

"Yes, Boss!" Ishimaru shouted, bowing at Daiya's order. Daiya grinned and turned towards Mondo.

"You got yourself a good kyoudai, bro." Mondo just blushed and groaned at Daiya's teasing.

"Ahem." Instantly, everyone's attention was towards the Elder Brother, "While this is extremely nice, there is still one term you must agree to, Makoto."

"And the term is?" Makoto asked.

"You must take Junko Enoshima with you."

His request was met with cries of outrage and murderous intent. Before anyone could truly argue, he held up a hand

"Please, settle down and let me explain." He said, "Our control in this dimension is limited. We can only create one pocket dimension to keep you all safe, and Junko Enoshima cannot be left in this dimension as a spirit without inevitably converting others here to despair. We have no means of containing her, and for some odd reason, her spirit refuses to move on. We cannot risk her converting the people here, please, take her with you."

"This is outrageous! You cannot possibly expect her to-"

"OK."

"-Hurk." Hibiki Naegi choked on air as soon as Makoto replied, "M-Makoto. Are you sure about this? Even after what Enoshima did?" Makoto nodded.

"I don't want any of you being converted, and who knows what Junko will do while our world. We can't risk it. We have literally no choice but to take her with us." Makoto sighed, "I'm really sorry, Mom, Dad, Komaru, but we'll have to bring her with us to Remnant." Hibiki sniffed, but nodded. The logic behind his reasoning was sound.

"Is everyone ready?" The Younger Brother asked. Everyone nodded, and he joined his brother in front of them, "If you need help, look for the prince in the drunk elephant."

"Wait wha-"

* * *

"Brother, did you really have to give them a cryptic riddle? You could have at least told them that they'll speak and understand English now."

"Eh. I thought it was pretty obvious. They'll be able to work it out sooner or later... So, are we gonna show them what they'll be doing?"

"Soon. First, we should let them get accommodated. For now...let's see to our other guest. She seems to have an odd fixation to those video games humans love so much..."

"Come now, brother. You must admit that some of them are positively addictive."

* * *

The fall was long and dark, and Makoto wondered how long it would go on. From around him, he could hear screams of terror and incoherent babbling. It was understandable. They were falling down a dark tunnel of pure _fuck you, physics_ that was headed to another dimension, but maybe the Brothers could have _warned them_ or something!

Suddenly, there was a blinking light in front of him, and Makoto fell into a back alley that was surprisingly clean and well-maintained, all things considered. Fifteen other thuds confirmed that. Yes, everyone was with him—wait, fifteen?

Turning around, he surveyed everyone that had fallen. He saw Sayaka, Mondo, Asahina, Chihiro, Junko, Mukuro—wait, when did Junko get there?

Makoto looked at Junko, who was groaning and pushing herself off the ground, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

"Uuugh, you'd think the fucking Brothers would warn me when they drop me in another dimension," Junko griped, her eyes spinning. She looked around for any witnesses as to what happened...and her eyes met with Makoto's.

"...Fuck," Makoto unconsciously cursed, before he scrambled backwards on his fours, hissing at Junko like a cat. Looking around, he grabbed a conveniently-placed spray bottle, ignoring just exactly why it was there, and held it up like a gun, "Back, foul beast! Away with you!"

If it weren't for the fact that he was standing five feet away from the worst criminal in the history of his world, he would have laughed at how ridiculous he looked. Junko scowled, and started to walk towards him.

"If you think a spray bottle is going to stop me-" Makoto sprayed her. "Gah! Why you little-" He sprayed her again, "Stop doing that!" At that point, Makoto didn't care anymore, and just started spraying her relentlessly.

When the others had gotten themselves off of the ground and looked up, their first sight in the literal new world, which they would always fondly recall and tell their descendants until their deaths, was the sight of Junko Enoshima wildly flailing at Makoto Naegi, who was spraying her with a spray bottle.

It was glorious.

* * *

"So the riddle the Younger Brother told us was to 'find the prince in the drunk elephant'. Any takers?" Makoto looked around at the assembled group of Ultimates (except for Junko.)

"Maybe he was being figurative? The prince and the drunk elephant mean something else?" Sayaka said, tapping her chin as she thought.

"Maybe there's something elephant-shaped around here, or something?" Yasuhiro added, looking around.

"I do believe that in Tenjiku shogi, the drunk elephant piece promotes to a prince piece." Celeste added.

"So we're looking for a drunken guy who becomes more important later?"

"Uh, guys?" Makoto and the others pointedly ignored that one.

"It could be a code name. Back at Fenrir, a lot of objective points had names like that." Mukuro's suggestion seemed to make sense, though it didn't seem to fit the situation, for some reason.

"Yeah, that seems reasonable. Could be code for something important. Anyone see any big stores around or anything?"

"Guuuys?~" Makoto and the others just turned away from the source of the voice, refusing to acknowledge her.

"Maybe it's referring to something. Like a folk tale."

"'The Prince and the Elephant' does sound like a folk story" Makoto muttered. Toko's suggestion opened up a new possibility for them.

"GUYS!"

"WHAT!" Fifteen voices snapped in unison, as almost everyone present scowled at Junko Enoshima, who was impatiently tapping her foot and pointing at a nearby nightclub.

A nightclub with a huge sign that said 'The Drunk Elephant' in blaring neon letters.

"Maybe we can start _there._ " She said, before smirking at their sheepish expressions, "Where would you be without me?"

"Living peacefully with my family."

"Buying a castle."

"Playing baseball with my cousin."

"Riding my motorcycle with-"

"OK, OK, I get it!" Junko pouted childishly at their answers, mushrooms seemingly appearing on her head from out of nowhere, before she hastily turned around, "Come on, let's find that 'prince' already!"

Grumbling under his breath, Makoto walked towards the nightclub, where music could be heard blaring from across the street.

* * *

The bouncer was oddly missing at the time. He was probably on break, or something, but it didn't matter at the time. The second they opened the doors to the nightclub, they were nearly _blasted back_ from the sheer sound of the music playing. Quickly scrambling inside, not wanting to risk the bouncer seeing them when they came back, they closed the doors and turned around to a sea of people.

The nightclub was massive, with a DJ in the front playing dance music in front of a large mosh pit, various tables and booths set up, with men and women flirting with staff members or each other, and a high-end bar was set up on the west end of the club, with a bearded man serving drinks to customers. There were suited security guards with red tinted sunglasses scattered all over the club, and a pair of twins seemed to prowl the club for troublemakers. One wore a white dress and high heels, while the other wore a red dress and had odd gloves on her.

"Everyone split up and avoid the guards. We should be able to cover more ground that way. Maybe ask around, see if anyone knows about the 'prince'." Makoto instructed. Most of the others nodded, while Junko...well, she had already wandered off,doing whatever the hell she wanted. "We'll meet up back here in 15 minutes." Everyone present nodded, and went off to gather info.

* * *

Junko sighed as she wandered the nightclub, trying to navigate through the dancing masses. She had already had enough of that optimistic bastard taking charge as soon as they fell into that alley, and it hadn't even been 5 minutes yet! Grumbling, she weaved her way through the mosh pit, avoiding every dancer like they were the plague.

Finally escaping the crowd, she walked over to the bar and plopped down on one of the stools, groaning as she put her head in her hands.

"Rough night, huh?" The bartender's voice came from in front of her. Predictable. Oh well. Might as well use this to her advantage.

"Ugh, like you wouldn't believe," She grumbled, "First, I nearly get mugged, then I get rejected to the school I wanted to get into, and now I have to put up with some annoying brat that follows me around and keeps trying to butt his head into my business." That was it. Make a sob story, one that would probably appeal to the bartender. With any luck, he'd eventually spill some info on the 'prince'.

"Yeesh. Must be a bad day. Here, any cocktail, on the house. As a sign of good will." Bullshit. He was just trying to convince her to come more, disguised as a sign of sympathy. She could tell from the undertone of greed in his voice. She knew she should have left to look for more info on the mysterious 'prince' right then and there...but one little cocktail wouldn't hurt, right?

"Gimme a Fourth Regiment, straight." She said, waving her hand, and the bartender nodded, turning to the liquors on the shelves, and grabbing a few from the top shelf. Dropping them into a large glass, he poured the liquors in, at a 1:1 ratio of what seemed like whiskey and vermouth, but splashing just a bit of three bitters into the glass, stirring it with a bar spoon, before pouring it through a cocktail strainer into a cocktail glass, sticking a toothpick through a Maraschino cherry, dropping it gently into the glass and pushing it towards Junko.

"A Fourth Regiment, straight." The bartender recited, holding his hands towards the cocktail. Lifting the glass to her mouth, she took a small sip...and promptly drank the entire cocktail in one go, smiling.

"I gotta say, you know how to make a good cocktail, Mr..."

"Call me Junior. Everyone does." The bartender said, nearly preening at the praise he was getting from the strawberry blonde chick.

"Gotcha, Junior." Before she could continue, someone sat down next to her, and he shot her an apologetic look before turning to the new customer. The nerve! She angrily turned towards the customer...and her jaw dropped.

Sitting next to her was a golden-haired beauty, with delicate pale skin, and molten golden eyes. Her hair was cut in a bob cut, curling just below her ears, and her face, heart-shaped with a tiny bit of fat in all the right places, was pulled into a little frown as she stared longingly at the liquors on the shelf. She wore a short-sleeved white v-neck that exposed just a bit of her collarbone, and loose denim jeans that fell just the slightest, as if taunting anyone to try to pull them down. She wore black sneakers with gold outlines, and what seemed like painted koi on the sides. She had slender arms and legs that sat on the fence of 'unhealthy', and hit that perfect ratio where a man would get aroused just looking at her limbs were they in a... _situation_. Junko's eyes trailed all over her body, and she saw that she was completely flat-chested, but more than made up for it with with what her analysis told here was a perfect peach-shaped bubble butt.

In other words, this was the kind of woman that would get any hot-blooded male horny just by walking down the damn street.

No! Bad Junko! Damn it, there were times when she wished she could turn off her talent, and this was one of them!

"Give me the usual, Junior," Junko heard the young woman drawl, waving her hand, and Junior snickered.

"Gotcha, Kin. One Royal Irish Car Bomb for the Golden Princess," Junior snarked, laughing at the woman's scowl.

"Dammit, Junior! I keep telling you I'm a guy!" Wait, what. "If you hadn't spread the word about my looks, they'd be calling me the Golden _Prince_. Ya' dick." The _man_ (But how?!) grumbled, pouting childishly.

"Kin, nobody would believe you even if you told them you were a guy. Even I almost still don't believe you, and that was after I walked in on you in the pool shower!" Junior replied, flippantly waving his hand. 'Kin' just groaned again, putting his head into his hands.

"I guess I won't tell you the good news, then."

"What good news?" Junior asked, sliding him a pub glass filled with a tarnished gold liquid inside, which Kin began to sip.

"I got accepted into Beacon. Got 3 months to prepare and train, but I got in~" Kin said in a singsong voice, taking a swig from the glass, "Damn, Junior, where do you get your mead? It's so good~"

"Homemade, you know. I pride myself in these kinda things. Got certificates and everything." Junior grinned in nostalgia, before his expression turned serious, "So you're really gonna become a Hunter?" Junko perked up at his words. For some reason, the way he emphasized 'Hunter' made it sound important. She began to pay more attention, absorbing every word they said.

"Yep. Gonna be fighting Grimm, everyday. Don't worry, I'll drop by every so often," Kin replied, sipping his cocktail. Junko made note of the word 'Grimm', "It's been a long time since we met, huh?" Junior laughed.

"Hah! First time we met, you were trying to get a cocktail here even though you were way underage."

"Don't remind me, man..."

"You unlocked your Semblance yet?" Oooh, Semblance. Better add that one to the list, Junko thought.

"Yep. Finally did, after five years of having unlocked Aura." Aura as well. There were so many things that Junko would have to research in her own spare time. "Got it about a year ago, when I was too busy to get a drink every now and then. Sorry about that, but there were finals and everything."

"No, no, I get it. I really do." Junior sighed, "It's just that business is hard nowadays. Taxes rising, and crime is growing around here. Heck, Torchwick passed by asking for some of my men. God knows what he wants with them."

"I hear you, man. Hard times." He sipped his cocktail and sighed, "You still haven't lost your touch, Junior." Before Junior could preen at the praise, a third figure sat down, one that Junko could see this time.

She wore a tan jacket that bares her lower stomach, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this was a low cut yellow crop top with a weird fire emblem on the left breast in black. She also wore black mini-shorts, leather knee high boots with orange over-the-knee socks, black fingerless gloves, and an orange infinity scarf around her neck. There was a brown belt covered by some pleated leather from hip to hip, and the weird fire emblem in gold at the rightmost pleat. Some sort of white cotton material went down to her knee on the right side, and a lavender bandana around her left thigh. She looked like the type of person who would seduce a person mid-fight, and then beat the ever-loving shit out of them while they were distracted.

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, and one of those little umbrellas," The girl called out to Junior. Junko saw a look of irritation flash across his face, before he regained his businesslike composure and walked towards the girl, dropping something onto the counter as he did..

"You're a little too young to drink," Junko heard him grumble. She scoffed. She was 17, and drinking here already. Her analysis told her that the girl, wait, no, guy sitting next to her was also her age and was sipping a cocktail right in front of the bartender.

"And you're a little too old to be called Junior, aren't you?" The girl replied, raising an eyebrow at Junior. He shook his head and leaned over the counter, a grim look on his face.

"So you know who I am."

"Hei 'Junior' Xiong, best damn info broker in Vale's underworld." Junko raised an eyebrow. Info broker, huh? So Junior might have some use after all.

"You got a name, sweetheart, or do you wanna go by 'Blondie' around here?" Junko noticed that Kin was fingering a couple of small thimbles, apparently lying on the counter. Junko was pretty sure they weren't there before.

"I've got many names, Junior~" The girl purred, and Junko went back to watching the situation unfold, "But you can just call me sir." And with that, the girl reached over the counter and grabbed Junior by the balls, squeezing a bit to emphasize her point.

Junko was shocked, and noticed the guards start to move towards the blonde out of the corner of her eye, but then she saw Kin put his fingers against the back of the girl's head, quick as a flash, a scowl on his face. The girl tensed, and Junko swore that she saw a metallic glint on Kin's index and middle fingers.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Junko blinked at how fast the boy's demeanor had changed from a sort-of-adorable kid to a seasoned fighter, and the girl knew it too, "Junior's a good friend of mine, and I really wouldn't like to see him get hurt. Let him go, now."

"Whoa, lady, we're just-"

"Now." Kin pushed his fingers pushed against her head more, and the girl visibly began to sweat, "My finger's feeling pretty damn itchy, and I don't think you want to find out what happens next if you don't do as I fucking say."

"Easy, easy, I'm letting him go." The girl's hands began to move away, and Junior relaxed, sighing in relief. Then she whirled around, aiming to punch Kin...and stopped at the sight of his fingers with what Junko realized were the thimbles from before, and the smug grin on his face.

"Bang~" Kin drawled out, and the girl's face grew red with anger, "Go on, hit me, I dare you."

"...What?" The girl paused in swinging her fist, and Kin's grin widened.

"I dare you to hit me. Wanna start a fight with a civilian, Huntress-in-training?" The girl gawked, "Don't think I didn't notice the bracelets-slash-gauntlets you're wearing, lady. You hit me, and I'll have a reason to sue you for assault with a deadly weapon and ruin your career before it begins." He gestured to the club full of patrons, all of which were filming them, "And there are just so many witnesses here who would testify against you~"

The girl's face grew nearly purple with rage, but she sighed, taking deep breaths, before she glared at Kin. "You win this time, lady." She growled, before she abruptly turned and walked towards the exit, slamming the doors open and leaving. Junko saw Makoto and the others gawking at the entire scene, and their eyes trained onto her as if it was all her fault.

"Ohmigod, that was so terrifying," Kin suddenly gasped, doubling over and breathing heavily. Across the counter, Junior was laughing hysterically, slapping the counter and wiping tears of joy from his eyes.

"Oh! Oh God, the look on her face when she saw the thimbles! That was priceless!" Junior gasped out, "Damn, kid. You know how to make a hell of a bluff!" Kin smirked.

"Strength through weakness~" He said, "But something tells me that isn't the last time you'll see her. You might want to put your guys on high alert, let them know to ban her from the club." Junior nodded.

"Thanks, kid. I owe you one." Kin just smirked.

"Well, I gotta go, Junior! See you around." Junior nodded again, waving his hand as if to shoo him out. Kin drank the rest of his cocktail, and put some plastic cards on the counter, "Some Lien for the cocktail. See ya!"

He got up, and began walking towards the exit, almost every male's gaze following him as he left. Junior sighed and swiped the 'Lien' cards, before grabbing the dirty glass and beginning to wipe it down.

"Who...Who was that?" Junko managed to gasp out, trying to wrap her head around the enigma she just couldn't analyze from what little she saw of him.

"That," Junior began, setting down the cleaned glass inside a shelf, "Was Kin Sakana. Around here, we call him the 'Golden Princess'." He winked at Junko, "But you already know his real gender now, don't you?"

Junko gulped. It looks like she had found the 'prince' already.

"I, I gotta go. Thanks for the cocktail, Junior." Junko said, abruptly leaving the counter, to Junior absentmindedly nodding. She quickly walked walked to the entrance, where Makoto and the others were waiting for her. Makoto seemed to have an uncharacteristically intense glare pointed her, which actually made Junko nearly step back a bit.

"What. Was That." He gritted out, and Junko cleared her throat.

"So I found the 'prince'." She began.

* * *

 **A/N: I wasn't joking when I said we would see Kin very soon. I also wasn't joking when I said that he wasn't the main character. But he is still a major character in the story, and a key person in Junko's redemption. Make what you will with that.**

 **But anyways, Class 78 have made it to Remnant, and found the 'prince in the drunk elephant!' Yeah, I didn't think anyone reading this would get it, so I just decided to use it to advance the plot. Yay, plot advancement~ And on top of that, a moment of awesome for Kin, who managed to bluff his ass off to keep Yang from destroying the nightclub.**

 **Well, that's gonna bite him in the ass later on, isn't it?**

 **Speaking of Kin, 6 years later, and he just becomes a hotter trap. Oh, the shipping possibilities. The escapades that will occur due to every pervert going after him! THE POSSIBILITIES FOR BEATING THE DEAD 'DID YOU JUST ASSUME MY GENDER' HORSE WITH A STICK! _MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_**

 **Ahem, please excuse that. That didn't happen. You saw nothing. Nothing at all.**

 **Other than that, there's not much else to say. I'm still looking for a beta reader, though. Could really use one. Please. I'm begging here.**

 **If you have any questions, either ask them in the reviews, or PM me. And with that, this is Evil Odium, newly-renamed Gold Magikarp, signing off! Peace!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Beacon to the Talented

**Before this chapter starts, I want to know that some people may not know the significance of DR lore in this story. This is either because they are not part of the DR fandom or have never played Danganronpa 1.**

 _ **Go learn about Danganronpa 1.**_

 **Play the game, watch the anime, read the light novels, do something. Just _learn about as much of Danganronpa 1 as you can_.**

 **If you don't, I can guarantee that you will not understand a lot in this story.**

 **And for people who are still confused about a few things DR-related, go back and review the series. Everything you need to know is all there.**

 **Now, without further ado, let's begin the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A Beacon to the Talented**

" _Harsh reality is always better than false hope."_

 _-Julian Fellowes_

* * *

It was the next day, and Makoto and Junko were currently sitting in a warehouse by the city's docks. The conversation yesterday had been cut short by Ishimaru saying that it was getting late and they needed to find a place to sleep. Seeing as they had no money or a place to stay, they had to look for an abandoned building that would shelter all of them. Hence the warehouse. After a relatively good sleep, Junko had woken up and immediately tried to speak away, only to be caught by her sister, the traitorous jerk.

Forced to explain herself, Junko described the events at the club, as well as throwing in the terms se wanted to learn more about.

"So you're basically telling me that you found the prince, and he said all this weird stuff about auras and semblances and stuff."

"Pretty much~" Makoto just openly gaped at Junko, who was preening at the look of disbelief on his face, a fake crown on her head.

"I, you, HOW?!"

"The bartenders meet a lot of here most of the time. They would have had information on our mysterious prince, and known someone who did," Junko's grin widened, as she continued, "But you wouldn't have known that, would you?~ Tell me, what were you doing again?~"

"...Asking the patrons personally..." Makoto mumbled, looking to the side to try to hide his embarrassed blush. Junko snickered.

"And that's why I learned everything we needed instead of you~" Makoto just grumbled under his breath, before somebody poked their head in nearby.

"Everything check out?" Leon asked Makoto, cautiously glancing at Junko as he did. Makoto sighed but nodded.

"Everything checks out. Despite the fact that we shouldn't trust her, Mukuro vouched for Junko's honesty, and a few videos we found on...whatever they call the Internet here matches what she said. Junko's telling the truth." Leon nodded.

"I'll go tell the others, we'll look into those weird terms Junko mentioned. Here's to hoping they're not red herrings." Makoto smiled at Leon's words.

"Thanks, Leon."

"No problem, man."

* * *

When the Brothers returned after tending to their guest, it was to a crowd of people impatiently staring at them. They varied in height and appearances and such, and every single one of them would have looked more in place at a LARP session of a post-apocalypse roleplay than they would have standing next to each other, but they stood staring at the Brothers, one of them impatiently tapping their foot. Who exactly, the Brothers did not know.

"...Uh-"

"We wanna see how they are."

"I, wha—It's only been a day!" The Younger Brother exclaimed, and a girl, Komaru, if he was correct, raised an eyebrow.

"That is a good point. However, we have come up with a better argument," She stepped to the side, "Yukimaru-san?"

"Thank you," The delinquent said softly, before clearing his throat, his demeanor spontaneously changing, "THEY'VE BEEN REVIVED FOR ALL OF _A DAY_!"

"We do want to see how they're doing. Most of us are kinda worried," Yuta Asahina piped up, "And I think the cat's getting super anxious at not seeing it's owner for so long..." He pointed to Celeste's cat, who was puffed up and looking mad enough to turn someone's hand into a scratching post.

"I understand your worry," The Elder said, "But our powers are still unstable. We need another day for them to truly stabilize, or who knows what might happen? I'm sorry." He bowed his head in apology. The crowd, however, looked dissatisfied.

"I get your logic, I really do," Komaru said again, and her expression turned kind of sheepish, "But people have been getting restless. Some of the Crazy Diamonds hasn't slept the entire night, Takaaki-san keeps claiming to hear his son's voice nearby, and Kanon-san is...well..." She turned to look at Kanon, who was standing stock still, with a slightly crazed grin and dead blue eyes while muttering 'Leon-kun' under her breath.

The Brothers just mechanically turned back towards Komaru, who was trying to ignore Kanon.

"The point is, we need to see them as soon as possible. Some of us are already on the verge of breaking, and it's only been one day..." Komaru continued, "...Please. We're _begging_ you."

The Brothers looked at each other, and then at Komaru's pleading expression, and then at the crowd of hopeful survivors, some of them looking exhausted, while others looked slightly insane, before finally sighing.

"We'll do it," They both said in unison, to the cheers of the crowd, "But we have to warn you, our powers are still unstable, like I said. So whatever happens..."

* * *

 _"...You have only yourselves to blame."_

"Damn it, what the hell are we supposed to do now?!" Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu cried, punching a wall in frustration. It had been two hours since Junko-sama'a death, and already, everything was beginning to fall apart.

Every single one of their Captives had gone missing, morale amongst the forces had plummeted to the point where you couldn't even feel despair, just depression. Mikan, the head of the medical division and one of the driving forces behind the Ultimate Despairs' advancement, had locked herself in her room, screaming and wailing, and the Despairs had nearly stopped cooperating at all. Everything was going to hell. The only upside was that that bastard Naegi and his band of blind optimists had disappeared without a trace.

"Kuzuryuu-san, calm down," Sonia Nevermind calmly reprimanded, an aura of regal authority surrounding her as she surveyed the desolate base. Soldiers were still coming and going, dropping off prisoners and supplies, but they seemed deadened, as if they were merely going along with the actions instead of truly living. "With Yukizome and Tengan still in the higher ranks of the future Foundation, we'll be able to start the Final Killing Game and-"

"I don't care about that!" Kuzuryuu whirled around, his red swirling eyes widened in pure rage and hatred as he snarled at Sonia, "Junko-sama is dead! The soldiers have been re-broken because of that, Mikan and the others are going berserk with fucking grief, and the Foundation is moving in this fucking instant, while Kamakura is gone, dammit!"

"Kuzuryuu-"

"Don't tell me to calm down again! I have had it with your shit, and if I hear you tell me to do something I don't want to, I will fucking-"

"Damn it, Kuzuryuu, shut the fuck up already!" Sonia cussed, dropping the royal facade, and making Kuzuryuu step back in surprise. Sonia had almost never cussed before, only when she was extremely upset, "I've had to put up with this fucking bullshit ever since Junko-sama passed away, and the last thing I need to deal with is you bitching about some minor problems, you _baby-faced brat._ "

He tried to stay calm. He really did.

"The fuck did you just say, princess?!" He yelled, drawing his gun and beginning to turn the safety off, "I'm gonna blow your goddamn brains all over the-"

" _So from what Junko heard so far, Beacon's some sort of combat academy for people to learn how to fight 'Grimm'._ "

Fuyuhiko froze, and he saw Sonia freeze as well. Why wouldn't he?

After all, the voice of Makoto Naegi was coming from the television, and they could see him on the screen.

Even though the television had been broken for two weeks, and Souda couldn't get his hands on some materials to repair it.

Fuyuhiko's jaw dropped, as the entirety of Class 78 showed up on the television screen, including Junko-sama, who they had seen crushed herself into a bloody paste.

" _Whoever Junko was eavesdropping on mentioned 'Aura' and 'Semblances', and called the people who fought any Grimm 'Hunters'. She said the weapons the guards had looked pretty weird, and that the currency's called 'Lien'."_ Makoto continued, his gaze sharp. Fuyuhiko gulped. This wasn't the naive idiot who had gotten into the academy by luck. This was the boy who had managed to pull five of his classmates from absolute despair, the boy who had slowly but methodically taken apart Junko-sama's plans like they were building blocks.

This was what the boy considered to be the Second-Generation Ultimate Hope was capable of.

" _Kyoko, Byakuya, can you gather as much information as you can on Aura and Semblances? We need to learn as well about them as we can._ " The two aforementioned nodded before leaving, and Makoto turned to the other classmates, " _Chihiro, can you see what the Internet here is like? Maybe we can find more online if there aren't many books on Aura and such._ " Chihiro nodded, and Makoto continued issuing requests to the other classmates.

Fuyuhiko stared at the nearly unfamiliar boy who was acting like a charismatic leader with years of experience behind him instead of the timid boy he had watched in the Killing Game. Had one week of that really changed him that much?

He and Sonia watched Class 78 split up, each heading off to do their part of the research, until only Makoto and Junko were left.

" _So, Makoto, the fuck am I supposed to do?_ " She asked, and Makoto turned towards the Ultimate Despair, dispassionately staring at her.

"... _You do nothing. I'm not risking you converting other people to despair, dammit._ " Makoto replied, " _Stay here. I'm going to see if I can get some Beacon Academy brochures. I_ will _know if you left._ " And with that, he walked out the door, and Junko-sama seemed to stand there scowling, before she smirked.

" _Stay here, huh?_ " She muttered, before beginning to stroll towards the warehouse exit " _I'll show you 'staying here'. Let's see if I can find that guy from yesterday..._ "

And then the television turned off, leaving Fuyuhiko and Sonia staring at the black screen.

"...Get the others," Fuyuhiko suddenly said, and Sonia looked at him in shock,

"What-"

"Get the others to come back to the base. I'll call Peko down," Fuyuhiko continued, his mouth twitching before he grinned, his eyes swirling faster and faster, "Junko-sama is alive. The world needs to know."

He couldn't _wait_ to see what happened next.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Future Foundation, things were taking a more...negative turn.

"This is an outrage!" Kyosuke Munakata howled, slamming a fist into the wooden counter, his body trembling with rage. "We all saw her get crushed, this must be impossible! An imposter, a copycat, _something_! There is no possible way that she is alive!"

The cameras at the Foundation were receiving the same transmission as the Despairs, and staff were frantically running around, trying to pinpoint the source of the broadcast. Meanwhile, the branch leaders had called an emergency meeting about the new highest-priority problem on the list: The miraculous revival of the True Ultimate Despair, Junko Enoshima.

"We saw not only her, but the entire Class 78, even thought 9 of them, not counting Junko, should be dead as well," The Great Gozu rumbled, intensely staring at the black screen, "How is this possible?"

"Chairman Tengan," Chisa Yukizome gasped out as she burst through the doors, clutching a series of filled portfolios to her chest, "We've just gotten word that the same transmission is being broadcasted throughout Tokyo, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, and just about every city in Japan. Foreign affairs are saying that the same is happening everywhere." Tengan tensed.

"What do you mean by 'everywhere', Yukizome?" He asked.

"I mean _everywhere_ , Chairman," She swallowed nervously before continuing, "Everyone...this transmission is _worldwide_."

You could have heard a pin drop from the ensuing silence.

" _What._ " Munakata managed to grit out.

* * *

All over the world, despair junkies and resistances alike, watched as TV screens flickered on show Junko Enoshima, who should have been dead, and Makoto Naegi, who had vanished once the doors to the old Hope's Peak Academy building opened.

Unknowing of this development, or the fact that their powers were leaking into the 'Monoworld', as Junko called it, the Brothers continued to show an attentive audience what was happening in Remnant.

* * *

When Makoto came back to the warehouse, he saw that Junko had disappeared. This was expected. After all, why would Junko listen to what he said? It didn't make any sense!

That didn't stop him from getting angry, though.

"Gaaaahh, where did she go?!" Makoto grumbled to himself as he searched what seemed to be the red light district of 'Vale', if he remembered correctly. The brochures were relatively easy to find, and he had gathered enough for everyone, and quickly headed back to the warehouse to drop off the brochures.

He knew Junko would leave, but where she would go was completely unknown. She could be anywhere in the city, and it was a _massive_ city. Even with his Luckster status, the chances of him actually finding her were near zero. There was no way he could pinpoint her at this rate!

Just as he rounded a corner, a middle-aged man ran past him, screaming 'DESPAIR!'

...Never mind. He had a very good idea where she was.

Rounding the corner, Makoto was treated to the...unique sight of Junko breaking passerby with nothing but a few words and a haughty laugh. Seriously, the rate at which she was causing psychotic breakdowns was frightening. Growling, he picked up his pace, quickly walking towards Junko, who had noticed Makoto and smirked at him.

"Hey~! Makoto! Look at how easy to read everyone is! Kinda makes them easy to break, don't you think?~" Junko's face suddenly turned beet red, as she began to drool, "The amount of despair coming from them...Oh man, it's making me so wet~"

"Junko, what the hell? I thought I told you to stay in the warehouse!" Makoto shouted. Junko's face just turned blank as she stared at him.

"...Makoto, did you really think I would listen to you?" She deadpanned.

"No, but I didn't think you'd cause a mess like this!" Makoto gestured to the various citizens, who were screaming and crying while Junko just pouted, changing into her 'cutesy' personality.

"B-But Makotoooo. You wouldn't blame a girl wanting to have some fun, riiiight?" She whined, turning puppy eyes at Makoto, who just stared dully at her.

And stared.

And stared...

OK, seriously, it was starting to freak her out.

"S-Stop it," She cursed herself for stuttering, "Seriously, stop it, it's getting creepy!"

"Go back to the warehouse," Makoto gritted out, and Junko pouted.

"And what makes you think I'll listen to you-" The stare returned in full force, and she yelped, "OK, OK, I'm going!" She grumbled as she trudged back to the warehouse, Makoto watching her all the way. It wasn't really the actual stare that freaked her out, but how out-of-character Makoto was acting. This wasn't the optimistic bastard she had seen in the Killing Game. Now that he was aware she was the Mastermind, she was pretty sure he was far less tolerant of her than of the others because of what she did.

'98%' Her brain spat out, having automatically analyzed the chance of what she said.

'Shut up, brain', she mentally thought back, not even acknowledging the fact that she was conversing with herself. She had long since come to terms with her insanity.

Entering the warehouse, Makoto noticed that in addition to Junko, Leon, Sayaka, Mukuro, Byakuya and Celeste had returned. Celeste seemed to be counting plastic cards while Byakuya rattled off finance tips to raise what little they had. Sayaka and Leon were going over a map with every district in Vale mapped out, and Mukuro was reading a book titled 'The Fearsome Creatures of Grimm, Volume III'. She must have wandered into a library and found that book, seeing as she had a stack of similar books next to her. She was writing in a notepad as she read, and her eyes seemed unusually focused. She perked up at the sound of Junko and Makoto returning, and looked up.

"Makoto! You're back!" She called, and everyone else in the warehouse, save Junko, turned towards him, before nodding and returning to what they were doing. Mukuro walked over, holding her notepad and flipping through the pages before she stopped near Makoto, and glanced at Junko, "What'd she do this time?"

"She turned a group of people in gibbering despair-junkies. I had to stop her and convince her to come back." Bullshit. He just stared at her until she relented. "I think we're going to have to appoint a schedule so everyone can make sure she doesn't cause something like this again." He noticed that Mukuro seemed to pale when he mentioned what Junko did, before hurrying over to him, and flipping through her notepad.

"Makoto, we have to stop her from converting people," She hurriedly whispered, "At any means possible."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why do you want her to stop so badly?" He whispered back, and she stopped flipping through her notepad, showing him a page filled with notes.

"I did some extensive research on the Grimm," She said, "They're literal manifestations of darkness and negativity that come in the forms of pitch-black animals with bone masks. They come in all sort of shapes and sizes, and a hoard of them can destroy a city in hours without interference," She recited her notes to Makoto, and Junko, who was watching the two, crept closer, eavesdropping on them.

"I appreciate the information, but what does that have to do with Junko converting others to despair?" Makoto asked in a polite tone. Mukuro just flipped to the next page, and Makoto read what was on it, slowly paling as he stared at Mukuro after finishing, "...Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." She said dryly, "They're attracted to negative emotions, like sadness, hatred... _despair_." Makoto gulped at the thought of a cackling Junko watching Grimm invade Vale while howling maniacs tossed themselves at the creatures of pure evil because of Despair.

Yeeeeaaahhh...not a pretty sight.

"Oooohh~ Some juicy info for me~" Junko piped up, grinning from ear to ear as she peeked at the notepad, giggling to herself as Makoto and Mukuro tried to cover it, "It would be a shame if I were to cause a Grimm hoard to breach Vale~ What's in it for me to keep them so boringly sane?"

"I...damn it, I got nothing." Makoto grumbled, leaning slightly towards Mukuro, "Mukuro, she's your sister, please tell me you can think of something..."

"The only thing she wants is despair, I don't think she'd tolerate anything less..." She whispered back, "Her inherent talent lets her analyze everything to the point of boredom, since she'll know what'll happen five seconds ahead of it actually happening."

"Actually~" Junko tapped her chin contemplatively, before her eyes grew sharp, "There _is_ something you can give me in exchange for me not converting people~"

Makoto and Mukuro gulped at the sadistic look blooming on her face.

* * *

As time went by, everyone returned to the warehouse, carrying flyers or books on various things in Vale.

Yasuhiro had found a few houses for sale in the residential district that they could hole up in until they could find a better alternative, while Syo (Toko had sneezed some time after she left) and Mondo had gathered a list of Vale's underworld crime lords. Being a serial killer and a biker respectively, no one really questioned how they got their hands on the information. Chihiro had written notes on 'Scrolls', which were what people in this dimension used to access the Internet, Ishimaru and Kyouko had researched the Hunting profession and what it entailed, bringing back information on what Hunters did, Hifumi had studied the local culture, bringing back information on humanoid beings known as 'Faunus', which were just like humans, but had enhanced senses and animal features. Lastly, Sakura and Aoi had come back with information on the strange weapons used by Hunters, noting the unique 'mecha-shifting' functions that allowed a weapon to have multiple forms.

Makoto distinctly heard Junko mutter something about 'Souda never thinking of that brilliant idea', but decided not to question it.

Which left them in the current predicament they were in.

"So what now?" Yasuhiro asked, looking at the pile of information they had gathered. "We know everything about Hunting, but we have no way of getting into any of the academies. I don't think there's any way of learning more, too..."

"Nor do we know anything on the other Kingdoms, or even Vale...We don't even know any people headed to Beacon." Celeste mused, tapping her chin with a finger, "At this rate, we'll be stumbling around blindly. I've heard whispers of some information brokers, but we don't have enough Lien to pay them..." The situation seemed to have no true solution.

The keyword being 'seemed'.

"I know someone." Junko piped up, causing everyone to pause. In the background, Makoto heard Mukuro mutter 'Dammit, Junko' as everyone stared at her in disbelief, "What're you staring at me for? Where'd you think I heard all those things about 'Lien' and 'Grimm' and stuff? I didn't leave the warehouse to just wander around and make people go crazy, you know. I did my own research, too."

Sometimes a solution would present itself in the most unorthodox way possible, Makoto thought to himself.

"What reason do we have to believe you?" Byakuya asked, glaring at Junko with visible contempt, "In fact, what reason do you have to be helping us? One would think that you leave us alone to fester in our despair."

"Bah, that's easy to answer~" Junko replied, "I can't predict anything when it comes to Hunting~"

"...What?"

"It's sooo~ complex~ Everything about Hunting and the Grimm, I can't read anything on them~" Junko continued, a small grin on her face, " Her grin grew wider and wider as she spoke, "The 'prince' from the riddle, Kin Sakana, even with how little I saw him, I couldn't predict anything he would do, despite me watching his every move~" At this point, she was drooling and blushing at the thought of a truly unpredictable situation, "I want to become a Hunter, I want to fight the Grimm, and keep encountering these despairingly beautiful situations~"

Makoto had to step back a bt to avoid looking at what was probably Junko in the middle of a despair-induced orgasm.

"But, what if you die? What then?" Mukuro asked Junko, looking slightly creeped out at Junko's weird behavior, and this was coming from her. Junko just smiled.

"Then that means I get to experience the despair of death again~" She replied, her eyes swirling in despair, "So come on~ I know someone going to Beacon~ What do you suppose I do?~"

Makoto looked to the others, who looked extremely conflicted. On one hand, here was the Ultimate Despair offering information that would give them a headstart in getting into Beacon Academy and starting their new lives. On the other hand, the _Ultimate Despair_ was offering to help them. Who knew what she wanted in return from them?

'I know what she wants,' Makoto thought to himself, 'And so does Mukuro. Doesn't mean the others shouldn't know.'

"What's the catch?" Makoto asked, to Junko's visible dissatisfaction. She had been hoping he had forgotten about what she wanted, by the looks of it.

"...Kin Sakana. He's a well-known figure in parts of the city, going to Beacon, _and_ he has connections with a famous info broker in Vale." At this, Junko's grin turned vicious, and gone was the bubbly fashionista who everybody blieved would be incapable of harming even a fly. In her place stood the mastermind of the greatest tragedy in their world's history, " **He's _mine_. Nobody mention anything I did to him.**" Makoto shivered at the sheer depravity in her voice.

"You-!" Apparently, some of the others didn't like Junko's ultimatum, as shown by Leon's outraged cry.

"Or, you know, you could choose not to agree, and be stuck stumbling around for information~" Junko interrupted, before grinning cheekily at everyone, "So, what's it gonna be, then?~" Makoto grumbled. It was obvious that Junko wanted to break Kin, and he wanted to stop her as much as he could, but if he disagreed, she'd withhold what they needed. Without the information, they really _would_ be wandering around blindly trying to get into Beacon, and they probably wouldn't make the cut. As much as he hated it, they had no choice here. It was a lose-lose situation, and he had to pick the lesser of two evils.

"...Fine. We'll leave him alone, as long as you keep your end of the bargain." Makoto reluctantly gritted out. From what he could determine, Hunting was one of the only ways they could keep Junko at bay, the other option being mass genocide and chaos, which was probably what would happen if they left her bored and alone while trying to get jobs.

God, he didn't want to imagine how bad it would be _this_ time.

"Hm-hm~ Good answer~" Junko chirped, a smug grin on her face while everyone protested in outrage and Makoto looked down shamefully, "Now gather around, peasants~ And let the great Queen Junko educate you on everything you need to know about Remnant~"

* * *

 _"Back when humans were primitive, and nature ran wild, the Grimm, manifestations of pure negativity, roamed the wilderness and hunted down anything with a heartbeat. Thousands would die say in and day out, and grief and despair laid upon the land of Remnant like a heavy blanket. Just when humanity seemed to fall into complete darkness, they discovered Dust. The crystallization of Nature's Wrath itself."_

The Future Foundation scrambled back and forth of the surveillance room, hurriedly taking notes on the Ultimate Despair's words. She had began explaining the basics behind the strange world known as 'Remnant', and already, there was merit to her words. An alternate dimension mostly untouched by humanity? Strange creatures called 'Grimm' who were made of solidified negativity? Crystallized _elemental power_?!

"Get me everything Enoshima says, stat! I don't want to see so much as a missing syllable, you understand?!" Munakata exclaimed, trying to direct the stream of agents hurriedly jotting down every word coming out of Junko's mouth, "She may be the worst enemy in the world, but right now she have groundbreaking information we can use to revolutionize the new world!"

Chisa Yukizome and Kazuo Tengan watched agents running left and right, the branch heads trying to keep the grunts in a small semblance of order.

"It seemed that somehow, Junko is impossibly alive." Tengan stated, looking at his watch as he listened to the Ultimate Despair's words,

"Indeed, Junko-chan managed to escape death~" Chisa replied, swirls flickering into her eyes for just a split second, "I suppose we'll have to 'deal with her' soon?"

"No, not now. We'll let Junko's personal circle do the work for us. Knowing them, sooner or later, they'll manage to find a way."

"Ah, you mean Ultimate Despair? I'll see what I can do, Tengan-san." The swirls flickered into her eyes once again, growing more prominent before they disappeared, "Only the best for my students~"

Swirls appeared in Tengan's eyes, and they laughed softly, as if sharing a joke between each other. Nobody in sight saw their eyes, and as such, they didn't see the despair swirls there.

Behind a nearby corner, Ryota Mitarai listened to the sound of his former teacher's broken laugh, and tried not to cry.

* * *

 _"With the power of Dust, they pushed back the Grimm and began to rebuild society in wherever they could. As time passed, the Grimm began to evolve. Mankind had to adapt to such changes, so they began to invent. They built compatible weapons in a simple form with usage to both weapons, which would eventually lead to the concept of mecha-shifting, built floating buildings and castles with Dust and sheer determination to symbolize their growth from the dark times, and trained others in the profession of slaying the Grimm, or as the modern terminology has it, becoming a Hunter."_

"Souda, take notes faster!" Fuyuhiko yelled at Kazuichi Souda, who was frantically jotting down notes while muttering to himself. The rest of the Despairs were raptly paying attention to their leader speaking on the TV, absorbing every tidbit of information she parted with.

"Can't believe I didn't think of this..." Souda grumbled, his hands moving at lightning speed as he wrote down possible ideas on mecha-shifting weapons for the Despairs to use, "This has so much fucking potential for us..."

"If you have time to grumble, you have time to take more notes! Faster, dammit, FASTER!"

* * *

 _"Sometime after civilization was rebuilt, Faunus appeared. They were just like humans. However, they all had animalistic features, and some even had enhanced senses and night vision. However, they were a minority, and over time, they were oppressed out of fear of their genetic advantages, and 'fantastic' racism. As hatred and fear built up over time, the Faunus grew tired of their suppressed rights, and started a civil war. He Faunus eventually lost, and subjected to the cruelty of humans, were mostly exiled to a remote island known as Menagerie. Even now, Faunus face racism of which most have never seen."_

"To think that there was such a horrible crime against the Faunus..." Nagisa Shingetsu muttered to himself, jotting down notes on the Faunus to study later, "It seems that demons even exist in other worlds."

"The Faunus sound adorbs!~" Kotoko Utsugi chirped, "I wonder if we can get some Faunus features if we went to Remnant! I wanna be a cute butterfly Faunus!"

"Heh, yeah! It would be so cool being able to hear things really far away! That would totally help with Demon Hunting!" Masaru Daimon shouted, enthusiastically pumping his fist into the air as he excitedly jumped up and down, "Hey Monica! What Faunus do you think you would be?"

"Monica's not sure..." Monica Towa, the heiress of Towa Robotics (and full-time demon pickle), tapping her chin thoughtfully, "But Monica wants to be a Cat Faunus! With the fluffy ears and tail!~"

"I wonder with my animal ears would fit in my mask..." Jataro Kemuri pulled at his leather mask as he watched his 'Big Sis Junko' explain the history of that cool world, 'Remnant'.

Sitting on the corpses of their abusive parents, the Warriors of Hope continued watching their mentor figure in her 'professor persona'.

* * *

Unknowing of the vast amount of information they were providing to Earth, the Brothers continued broadcasting Class 78 to their personal audience, and to the world for the next two hours.

* * *

"...And that is the history of Remnant." Junko finished, taking off her fake glasses and quickly redoing her hair into two pigtails. Her audience just stared at her, some with the jaws hanging wide open.

"...OK, first, how the hell did you learn all that within two hours? Second, how the hell did you remember all that, and third, why the hell did you _prepare a three-hour lecture with a blackboard for fuck's sake?!_ " Mondo exclaimed, gesturing to the blackboard behind Junko, which had somehow appeared there out of thin air sometime into the lecture.

"One, Ultimate Analyst. Just had to quickly read a few history books and connect the dots. Second, I have notes written down too, and third," Junko stopped, and looked incredulously at the blackboard behind her, "I...actually have no idea how it got there."

"Alright, ignoring the apparently magic blackboard, we all know what we need to do to get into Beacon." Makoto said, " We have to apparently train in combat, make weapons capable of shifting into guns, and get our hands on forgeries that are capable of fooling school officials, because we have no history here whatsoever." He paused," …..OK, that sounds so hard now that I think about it. But we can do it!"

"On one hand, we have to get into Beacon to keep Junko at bay... On the other hand, we have to cheat our way into Beacon..." Ishimaru muttered, " I am extremely conflicted here..."

"We don't really have another choice, bro..." Mondo muttered, looking down," While I was lookin' around, I heard whispers of transcript forgers in the underworld. They're a bit pricey, but if we can scrounge up enough dough, we can get our hands on enough transcripts."

" Good. It seems like my talent shall come into handy here," Celeste said, grabbing a few Lien from a pile on a nearby table, and counting them, "By my calculations, this should equal around 100 Lien. A transcript to Beacon... Mondo, did you learn how much one of those would cost?"

"Gettin' a transcript's supposed to be pretty expensive...but 100 Lien is a lot in Remnant. I'd say that one costs around a thousand Lien, tops." Mondo shrugged, making an iffy motion with his hand, "We'll need Lien for parts too, to build our weapons."

"We also need Lien for food, water, and shelter. Clothes as well. I do not want to spend the next 3 months in the same grimy set of clothes," Byakuya said, sniffing at his clothes, "Eugh. Disgusting."

"The apartments I found are cheap, and not completely derelict. There aren't any infestation or rodent problems either. We can have shelter as soon as we get some Lien to the landlord." Yasuhiro added, "The place is nearby, there are plenty of rooms open, and I don't think anyone cares about who we are there. No nosy people in there or anything. The address is 200 Murphy Street, and the rent is 20 Lien for a room."

"You can expect me to come back with at least 1,000 Lien by nightfall." Celeste said, turning to leave the warehouse, "I'll meet you at the apartments, get us some rooms first." She walked out the warehouse, probably to begin gambling for funds.

"I'll meet you guys at the building. I want to get into a shower as soon as possible..." Yasuhiro followed Celeste, before splitting off to go rent rooms for them all.

"Come on, Aoi-chan! We gotta go shopping~" Sayaka chirped, dragging Aoi with her as she left and swiping some Lien from the table. Sakura sighed, and walked out, following them. She didn't even need to say why, everyone else just instinctively knew the reason.

"We'll...just go buy some groceries..." Leon muttered, Chihiro and Mondo following him as he left for the market district.

Everyone else just awkwardly stood around, not knowing what to do.

"So...we just stay here until they come back?" Kyoko asked, absentmindedly checking her nails.

"I...I guess? Anyone got a deck of cards or something?" Makoto asked, already starting to feel bored.

* * *

Yasuhiro eventually came back around 15 minutes later, with a bunch of keys, and a piece of paper listing their rooms, and how many were allowed in them. There were also a bunch of rules listed for if they wanted to live at the building, but that was usually standard stuff, nothing more than something optional for people to read. It wasn't like they would follow them to the dot (except maybe Ishimaru, but that was obvious to everyone), and everyone headed for the address, meeting up with Aoi, Sakura and Sayaka on the way. Yasuhiro acted as the guide, leading them to a fairly new apartment complex, where Leon, Mondo and Chihiro waited, holding large grocery bags filled to the brim.

"Hey guys! We talked to the landlord, and he gave us the OK to set up as soon as we got the keys from Hiro!" Leon called out, "Is Celeste back yet?"

"Nah, she's still god-knows-where gambling for funds, and honestly, I think she'd be pissed if we went to look for her. She'd be all angry at us for thinking she was too weak or something." Yasuhiro replied.

"...I can see that happening."

"Yeah, come on. We should get inside and start setting up."

"And after that?"

"Well," Makoto said, everyone turning to listen to him, "we start training, of course!"

* * *

Three months actually flew by pretty quickly.

Starting the day after they had finished setting up their apartments, they had immediately begun training. Even Junko was uncharacteristically excited about the idea of training, which scared Mukuro half to death and caused her to hide from Junko for 2 weeks.

Sakura had coached everyone on finding their unique fighting style, using their natural flexibility, power, and speed as a basis, as well as honing their reflexes (which was great for Makoto, because he could barely walk three steps without tripping over air), and everyone quickly grew by leaps and bounds in terms of skill, to the point where even Chihiro could put up a decent fight, which he seemed to be extremely happy about.

As in, he glomped Sakura, squeeing happily when he found out how physically strong he had become. Makoto laughed at the sight of Sakura being so flustered over Chihiro hugging her.

Speaking of Chihiro, with his programming prowess, he had designed a program that had found weapons compatible for all of them. This drastically cut down the time they needed to design their weapons, seeing as they had a template to use.

Leon has, not surprisingly, gotten a metal baseball bat that was, much more surprisingly, combined with a grenade launcher. The bat was designed to have a unique double-impact-triggered grenade canister inside. A grenade could be launched into the air, Leon would smack the grenade with the bat into the enemy, which would trigger the grenade and blow them sky-high. He called it "Grand Slam", and Junko had laughed at his lack of creativity. Leon had just growled before leaving to buy parts.

Sakura and Aoi had gotten pairs of gauntlets, Sakura with a 'quake mechanism' that could break the ground with enough force, and Aoi had gotten a 'wave cannon' that fired a Water Dust barrage formed into what was basically a laser cannon. At it's lowest setting, it would leave an enemy soaked, but at it's highest setting...well, there wouldn't be any bones to break if an enemy was hit. The blueprints for 'Richter Palms' and it's sister weapon, 'Sachiel's Palms' were eagerly taken by their new owners, though Sakura seemed to be overly eager about training with Richter Palm. Makoto wondered if Sakura's body would be able to take the backlash from shooting miniature earthquakes from her hands.

Mondo had...a motorcycle. No, calling it a motorcycle was like calling Junko Enoshima a common criminal. Mondo got a mecha-shifting motorbike that could shift into a dirt bike, had mounted machine guns and removable knives built into the damn thing. There was an auto-driving mode, dark blue Dust headlights, and a wicked skull design at the front. He promptly called it "Acheron" (he thought the name sounded cool), bought black and cobalt paint, and eagerly began buying parts to build it when he had the chance to.

Celestia had apparently been extremely compatible with, believe it or not, a staff/sniper rifle. With a Dust-enhanced scope, Dust-enhanced grip, heck, Dust-enhanced _everything_ , it was near-unbreakable and allowed Celestia to fire elemental rounds with ease. It would collapse the scope, part of the grip, the muzzle, and the trigger to form a bo staff with metal covering it to keep it from breaking. She called it "Royal Flush" based on it's extremely rare simplicity and hidden power. Even a bo staff had much use in Remnant, and the fact that she could partially shift it so it fired a sniper round point-blank at someone made it all the more better for her.

Hifumi had gotten a warhammer. As in, a giant metal-plated hammer weighing at least a quarter of a ton and made of what was practically the essence of reinforced _fuck you_. The warhammer was capable of mecha-shifting into a bulky hand cannon, and in the most literal sense. Without Aura, one could fire it and be blasted five feet away from where they were standing while fracturing their arm in three places. Despite it's intimidating size and sheer unwieldiness, Hifumi had stars in his eyes as he muttered to himself about the 'doujin ideas he could make from being in a fantasy situation like this', naming the warhammer 'Wishmaker'.

Mukuro and surprisingly _Chihiro_ had gotten simple knives with handgun modes. Although Mondo and Ishimaru had vehemently protested, Chihiro had eventually convinced them (with a mixture of pleading, puppy dog eyes, and a bit on tugging at their heartstrings, which by all means shouldn't have worked) to let him fight as well. The knives had a simple button that, when pressed, would quickly shift into a handgun that fired Dust rounds. The handgun modes were semi-automatic, light, and nearly impossible to misfire. Chihiro had named his 'Malware' as a callback to programming, while Mukuro called hers 'Wolf Fang', in honor of her former mercenary group 'Fenrir'.

Sayaka got a combination of a swept hilt rapier and a revolver. In rapier form, the blade was imbued with Fire Dust, and was made of tungsten, while the hilt hid a small mechanism that, when activatd with a specific movement, would cause the blade shift, before folding into itself and opening up to reveal a gun muzzle. The revolver held 7 shots, but could be quickly reloaded. Sayaka called it 'Orchard Blade' after her former idol group 'Blue Orchard'.

Hagakure was compatible with what looked like a combination of greaves, shotguns, and, of all things, _running shoes_. The boots had a built mechanism that would cause shotgun shells to be fired out of the soles of the feet by tensing the toes enough. The recoil was lessened by padding inside the shoes, and the boots released Wind Dust that would boost the wearer forwards at times if released in bursts. Using it constantly would let the wearer run at extreme speeds, as well as tearing up part of the landscape behind them with sheer force. Hagakure named the boots 'Hermes' after the fastest Greek god, before he seemed to stiffen, then whoop and jump in the air, saying something about his 'debt' and 'no more running'.

Ishimaru had gotten a combination of plated fighting gloves and shotguns. The gloves were plated with an alloy made from tungsten, titanium, and iron, and multiple plates of the alloy covered the entire outer part of the gloves (the back of the hands and fingers), leaving the joints untouched to allow the wearer to make a fist and such. The alloy proved to be extremely durable and expensive, probably due to it's materials, and the first thing Ishimaru would have to do was buy alloy plates to forger them for his gloves. To fire the shotgun mechanism, the wearer would have to made a fist, and squeeze to fire a bullet. This triggered a pressure mechanism that would blast the bullet out of tubes on top of the knuckles like a gun. Ishimaru called the gloves 'Innocence' and 'Guilt', as a reference to official verdicts carried out in court. It seemed that he was still the law-abiding prefect from their school year, Makoto guessed.

Toko got...a pair of scissors. No, wait, she got the same custom pair of scissors Syo used, except they were imbued with Dust to enhance their durability, and came in blood red. Toko just slammed her head against the wall, muttering about 'stupid Syo' and how 'her actions were bleeding into her life'. The scissors...didn't even get named, but everyone called them 'Bloodlust', after the message Syo would always leave when finished murdering someone. Toko just made a whining noise about it, before she began writing some stuff down for Syo to read later.

Byakuya got a combination of a scepter topped with a Fire Orb, a small orb made of pure crystal Fire Dust, and a flamethrower. The scepter acted as both a blunt weapon and a psuedo-magic staff, shooting fireballs at enemies when a certain amount of Aura is channeled into the Orb. With a flick of the wrist, the scepter seems to partially fold into itself, before gun parts are exposed (like a trigger, and a handle), and the Fire Orb is shifted into the middle of the gun, turning the scepter into a mid-range flamethrower. Byakuya paled at the 'barbaric' weapon blueprints, but seemed to relent when Makoto explained how versatile it would be, and the fact that scepters were usually wielded by royalty in their own world.

Kyoko got a pair of all-purpose military goggles used for recon missions, and a police baton that had a handgun and taser mode. The baton itself was nothing special, just a steel baton imbued with Fire and Lightning Dust to enhance it's durability, but it's taser mode opened a small port in one of the baton's ends and discharged Lightning Dust out of the port, shocking and incapacitating an enemy. The handgun mode was activated the baton downwards, and the baton would quickly snap into a handgun that fired Fire and Lightning Dust rounds. Kyoko called it "Seal Designation Alpha", but shortened it down to "Seal 1", then "S1" after it was proven to be a hassle just to say the name.

Junko had what appeared to be a pair of claws, with small tubes sticking out of each knuckles. Upon further analysis, the computer specified that they were CGLG, or Clawed Grenade launcher Gauntlets. They were a pair of clawed gauntlets that allowed the wearer to stab people while punching, or gouge at an enemy with said gauntlets. Squeezing the hands would let the wearer propel grenades out of the tubes while punching, and the weapon was considered to be borderline illegal with how dangerous weapon maintenance was on it. Junko promptly began drooling, and Makoto, Mukuro, and Sayaka had to drag her away from the computer (although Makoto noted that they seemed to keep pressing against him a lot while doing so).

Last but not least, Makoto got...a standard sword and shield. A completely average pair of equipment in a not-so-average world. There weren't many defining features on said equipment, other than a jeweled rendition of a King piece smack dab in the middle of the front, and the sword was imbued with dozens of kinds of Dust, and Dust shards making up the hilt, protected by a titanium case, making it nigh unbreakable. If Makoto pushed some Aura into the sword, he could activate a Dust crystal at random to make the blade capable of elemental attacks, and with activating the Wind Dust, he could also create air slashes for long-range attacks. He called it "Jeweled General" after the Tengiku shogi piece, surprising Celeste with the fact that he even knew the names of the pieces, despite having almost never played the game himself (and losing every single time).

But the crown jewel of those three months, as must as Makoto hated to admit it, was when Junko tricked a retired Huntsman into unlocking her Aura, masquerading it as a "hands-on lesson in unlocking someone's Aura", which was a half-truth at most.

As it turned out, Aura was present in all living things with a soul. Trees, animals, birds, even grass. People were just the only ones capable of unlocking it on their own. When Junko had, very reluctantly, spread the information, the thers were shocked, and immediately threw themselves into Aura research. They found that one could forcibly unlock their Aura under an extremely stressful situation, like a life-or-death situation, or an extremely traumatic experience.

Not wanting to accept Junko's help (except for Mukuro, and Junko only unlocked her Aura because they were sisters and she would have more fun trying to 'kill' Mukuro), everybody else began to intensify their combat training, and Makoto, Leon, Mukuro, Chihiro, and Sakura, who had all managed to quickly build their weapons and successfully use them, began praticing with said weapons, refining their combat skills and repairing and upgrading their weapons whenever they had the chance.

Celestia bought in massive amounts of Lien from gambling when she did go, and everybody, even Junko (though she would never admit it under normal circumstances) was grateful for her helping everyone train.

Some people, like Makoto, Byakuya, and Celestia, had forcibly unlocked their Auras after pushing themselves too far in combat training. For the three, so much physical activity had never occurred to them in their normal lives, and the physical strain nearly made their hearts burst, before their Auras spontaneously erupted from them, saving their lives, and giving them access to Aura. With their newfound Aura, they unlocked everyone else's Auras, and that was the end of the Aura debacle.

Junko was furious at the missed chances to hold some semblance of superiority over Makoto, and it showed in how fanatically she threw herself into training. In fact, it was so intense, that a month after she began training feverishly, she shrieked in surprise and fell on her ass, eyes frantically looking at invisible things in the air as she looked past Makoto and the others, reading something to herself.

"J-Junko?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Mukuro exclaimed, rushing to her side. Junko didn't even look at her, her eyes just darting around.

"W-W-What the hell is this...? 'Brick falling in 54 minutes and 27 seconds', Leon Kuwata's personal preferences', 'Mukuro Ikasuba: Ultimate Soldier'?! What the hell is all this?!" She screamed.

"Junko? W-What are you talking around?"

"You don't see all this?!" Junko gestured at the empty air in front of her, "All those screens in front of you people?!"

Everyone just looked in front of them, Sayaka even waving her hands in front of her as if something would appear.

"Uh...there's nothing there." Leon muttered, "You sure you didn't eat something bad?"

"I-You-What-" Junko stammered, as if shocked about Leon's words. Next to Leon, Byakuya seemed to perk up, before taking out a book and flipping through the pages.

"Aha!" He exclaimed, "I think I know what's going on!"

"What? What is it?!"

"You just unlocked your Semblance!" Byakuya exclaimed, before he abruptly paled, "...Oh no. You just unlocked your Semblance."

There was silence, as everyone processed his words. And they almost everyone began to pale as well.

Except for Junko, she just began to laugh maniacally, as she slowly stood up.

"Yes! I unlocked my Semblance before you all!" She cackled, "I'm finally gonna be able to-"

She didn't get to continue much longer, because Sakura walked up to her while she was ranting and punched her on the head, instantly knocking her out and dropping her to the ground. When she looked around while rubbing her knuckles, she shrugged at the shocked looks of Class 78.

"What?" Sakura asked, "She deserved it."

* * *

As it turned out, Junko's Semblance was Absolute Analysis. It was a Passive Semblance, meaning it couldn't be truly deactivated, only turned down. In fact, the lowest setting she could currently 'degrade' her Semblance was making it equal to her inherent talent as Ultimate Analyst, which severely diminished it's potential, but there was the benefit of making the flow of information more manageable. Junko had sighed in despair, a grin nearly forming on her mouth, but she soon began to abuse her Semblance, mastering it within a matter of 2 weeks.

And so, 3 months had passed. They had gained much proficiency in their fighting, and established a small power base in the apartment, Celeste having become well-known as an extraordinary gambler in the underworld, and Byakuya acting as a paid intern and helping manage a small company's finances (he griped about being in a 'peasant position' for a week straight.) They had finally built all their weapons, and gotten combat clothing, which they all carried in bags or suitcases, along with other clothing, snacks, prized possessions, and other pleasantries.

"So, is everyone ready?" Makoto asked, as he watched the Bullhead touch down on landing pad, and the doors open. Behind him, the rest of Class 78 cheered and whooped, finally able to begin their new lives. Junko in particular looked ecstatic as other students began to board, "Then come on, let's go!"

And Class 78 of Hope's Peak Academy boarded the Bullhead, and took the first step to beginning their new school lives at Beacon Academy.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Headmaster?" Headmater Ozpin Verdant looked up from the stack of paperwork on his desk, looking to where a concerned Glynda Goodwitch looked back at him.

"Sure about what, Glynda?" Ozpin asked, playing dumb as to the Deputy Headmistress's concerns. He took a sip from his coffee mug and continued reviewing the paperwork, files on the Vytal Festival to occur in half a year.

"You know damn well

what I mean, Ozpin. The surprise sixteen applications sent in by no-name people!" Glynda exclaimed, slamming a fist down onto the clockwork desk, gears rattling as her Semblance was unconsciously activated in her fury. "Moreover, you actually approving those applications! Ozpin, we not only have to oversee the entire school, but we have to be aware of the Queen and her Pieces! Why would you risk everyone here by approving-"

"Their names." Glynda paused.

"...What?" She muttered, as Ozpin looked at her, a grave expression on his face.

"Their names, Glynda," Ozpin repeated, " _Their names don't follow the color rule_."

Glynda dropped her riding crop.

"What?' She rasped, and Ozpin nodded.

"Not only do they not know of Remnant's basic traditions, but they are capable of operating at heights which a professional could dream of at certain areas of professions." He leaned down and pulled out a sheet of paper, displaying the mugshot of a girl with twin hair drills, dressed in Gothic Lolita style clothing, "Celeste Ludenburg, age 17. She loves flaunting her wealth, and had been said to dream of living like royalty. She is infamous as an underworld gambler who has, in the span of 3 months, amassed a fortune of _over a million Lien in high-roller games_. They called her 'Fortuna's Blessed'." He pulled out another, depicting a blue-haired girl smiling at the camera, "Sayaka Maizono, age 17. She is a local idol who has already gained a massive fanbase whle performing in the residential district for free. Her talent in drawing crowds in and causing joy to everyone makes her a local celebrity, and yet she has chosen to enroll here." Yet another sheet, "Leon Kuwata, age 17. He's a boy who's gone to the batting cages in the shopping mall and broken every record there is in there. His pitches have an unnatural accuracy to them, his swings are always homeruns, and his catching is near-legendary. He has merit as a baseball player, yet he enrolls here."

Ozpin pulled out sheets at a rapid pace, speaking as he went, "Byakuya Togami. Kyoko Kirigiri, Junko Enoshima. Every one of these sixteen applications features individuals extraordinary in specific professions, yet they have all chosen to enroll here on the very same day." His eyes turned sharp, and he voice grew grim, "But they do not seem to be corrupted by Salem or her lackeys, and they know nearly nothing about Remnant."

"But that...that's impossible..." Glynda stammered out.

"And yet, here it is before us," Ozpin sighed, "I have to be able to keep an eye on them, and the only way to do so-"

"Is as their headmaster..." Glynda finished for him, and he nodded, "But Ozpin...what if they aren't who you think they are? What if they turn out to be against us?"

"I truly hope," Ozpin said, his Aura flaring up for a split second, and emerald green filling Glynda's vision before receding just as quivkly, "That it does not come to that."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm aliiiiiive...*tiredly blows party horn* Damn you, high school and loads of work. Damn you and your time-consuming agony.**

 **Anyways, this is meant to be a prelude to show how Class 78 settled down in Remnant, and trained to get into Beacon. It's supposed to chronicle every important events that happened in those three months, and what details are needed for them to have even a sliver of a chance in Beacon. I'll describe their combat clothing in the next chapter, if you're wondering.**

 **With either Makoto/Sayaka, Makoto/Mukuro, or Makoto/Sayaka/Mukuro (Because let's face it, Makoto probably wouldn't want to hurt either of them) as a main, there will be side ships ongoing, so send in any requests if you have one you want.**

 **Also, there will be customized Grimm for this story. If you have any requests, PM me or leave them in the reviews, but there will be some that are already decided for the course of this story. If you don't like that, then leave, because I'm sticking with how I'll write my story.**

 **And don't think Class 78 will be the main characters alone. I'm also dragging Teams RWBY and JNPR into their shenanigans, so prepare to see me fuck myself over trying to manage the personalities of 25 people (oh god help me)**

 **Speaking of Class 78, they _will_ be a little OOC, but considering they had to suffer through a week-long killing game where they slaughtered their own friends, it's kind of justifiable. It's even more justifiable when they have to live of the mastermind of said killing game. Don't worry, Junko gets better.**

 **If you have any questions, PM me or leave in the reviews, as usual. With that out of the way, this is Gold Magikarp, signing off for now! Peace!**

 **Edit: Just a minor update, ignore this.**


	4. Chapter 3: Fortune Favors the Bold

**Before this chapter begins, let me make one thing clear.**

 **Only the V1 characters are in Remnant.**

 **The V2 and V3 characters are still on Earth.**

 **Let me repeat that.**

 _ **Only the V1 characters are in Remnant.**_

 **So any ships with Makoto featuring a non-V1 character is automatically rejected. The only choices are Mukuro, Sayaka, or both.**

 **In other words, no Kaede Akamatsu, so stop asking.**

 **Speaking of who, I'm making a poll to decide how the relationship will go. You'll see it real soon, so keep your eyes peeled.**

 **With that out of the way, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Fortune Favors the Bold**

* * *

" _Why hurt someone who's only intention was to love you?"_

 _-Unknown_

* * *

The first thing the former Class 78 did when they stepped off the Bullhead was stare at the massive castle that was Beacon Academy. And who wouldn't? The Academy itself took up an entire cliffside overlooking the city, with an emerald spire in the very center of the campus. The Academy had four wings, each pointing towards a cardinal direction, with a large mechanical tower with an antenna sticking out of the top near the center of the campus. In addition to that, there were four monoliths built directly between the four wings, built at the northwest, northeast, south east, and southwest respectively, and each monolith had some sort of element coming out of the.

The northeast element had fire and smoke coming out of it, and there were the distant sounds of hammers hitting metal, suggesting that it was a forge. The northwest tower air billowing out of it in large gales, and students seemed to be heading in with supplies and their weapons, muttering something about 'landing strategies'. The southwest tower had earth and flowers running up the side, and if one looked closely, there were flowers and crops growing within the tower, suggesting that it was a garden. The southeast tower...was a giant swimming pool. It was pretty obvious, with students wearing bathing suits walking inside.

All in all, Beacon Academy was like a holy combination of a luxury resort, a castle, a private university, and a town.

"It...It's beautiful..." Celeste said, tears in her eyes as she fell to her knees, "And I'm gonna be living here..."

"Uh...Celeste?" Leon said.

"My dream has been fulfilled..." Celeste continued, ignoring Leon, "I can now die happily..." Junko perked up.

"Is that an offer I hear?" She asked, and Celeste momentarily broke out of her trance to glare at her before returning to staring at the campus.

"Uuuhhh...should we just leave her for now?" Yasuhiro asked, coughing into his fist awkwardly.

"...Yeah, she'll be fine. Come on, let's go."

* * *

"Headmaster, the Bullheads have docked and dropped off the last of the students." Glynda told Ozpin, as they briskly walked towards Beacon's amphitheater. It was almost time for the speech and both faculty members were extremely wary of the new freshmen. At least, they were wary of certain individuals amongst the freshmen. It was understandable, with the Queen suddenly beginning to mobilize.

"Excellent," Ozpin replied, in a tone that suggested it wasn't the least bit excellent, " And what of the 'surprises'?"

"Security cameras have caught them wandering the campus as soon the Bullhead opened it's doors. One of them seems to be reverently gazing at the academy, however..." Ozpin stopped, and cocked an eyebrow at this, "Yes, unbelievable as it may seem, she's been doing it for the last five minutes now. Another of the 'surprises' seems to be re-reading the Beacon rulebook, with two others. A pompadoured boy and a girl, by the looks of it."

"The majority of them are heading for—oh dear." Glynda couldn't keep the look of nervousness off her face, "It seems that the group is branching off to explore. There are currently a boy and two girls heading for Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, two girls and a...man? They're heading for the swimming pool, while another boy and girl pair are headed towards Weiss Schnee. Other than that, the rest of the group seems to be continuing towards the amphitheater."

"Thank you, Glynda," Ozpin replied, "I suppose we can hold the speech off until they all arrive. Keep note of their movements. We have a silver-eyes warrior and half of the Fall Mantle on site. We cannot let them fall into enemy hands."

* * *

Ruby Rose whined as she laid on the ground, her eyes closed. Not even five minutes, and she had already managed to somehow cause a massive Dust explosion, make some princess angry, and she was still lost.

"Need a hand?" Ruby opened her eyes to see a blonde boy with a chestplate and a sword and sheath holding his hand out towards her. Graciously, she grabbed the hand and pulled herself up, dusting her skirt off. Turning to look at the boy who helped him, she looked a bit more closely.

"...Aren't you the guy who threw up on the Bullhead?" The boy's expression immediately fell, and he hung his head. Before he could reply, they heard laughter from nearby, and turned, where a pair of girls were bent over laughing, and a brown-haired boy was trying to get them to stop.

"C-Come on, you two. Imagine if that had happened to you! Leave the poor guy alone..." He tried, vainly.

"B-But he...vomited on...Junko's-Hhahahaha!" One of the girls cut herself off, laughing hysterically. The other was too busy gasping for air to say anything.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up...It's motion sickness, OK?" The blonde boy tried to reason, only reinvigorating the laughter, as he sighed.

"And remind me _why_ I have to go with you two again?" Junko sneered as she was herded towards the swimming pool by Aoi and Sakura. Makoto had tasked the two with supervising her if case she tried anything, which, in fact...she _was_ kind of thinking.

What? She wanted to test the campus'...er, durability! Yeah. Durability. That was definitely what she wanted to test.

Quickly moving away from that train of thought, she entered the monolith, to the biggest swimming pool she had ever seen, and that was _including_ Hope's Peak Academy's pool, which took up at least 3 acres of land alone. Junko still wondered how the hell the architects had managed to build that monstrosity in one month. Now, she was openly staring at the building-sized manmade _lake_ , while Aoi had switched from a stern glare at Junko to a childish squeal of pure joy. She had been about to leap into the pool when Sakura had grabbed a handful of her shirt, dragging her away.

"Not yet, Aoi. After we become students first. Then we can swim." She said. Aoi whined, but nodded, turning away. Junko began to scoff, before something caught her eye.

"Is that..." She began to ask, and both Aoi and Sakura turned to look at her, before following her gaze.

At first, they saw nothing but the still surface of the pool water. They stared for a few more seconds, before growing impatient. Just when they were about to turn away, however, something burst from the water, taking large gulps of air in as they floated. After stretching in the water, they began to swim, and _holy shit they were fast._

In the blink of an eye, the figure had swam 5 feet to the side of the pool and pulled themselves out. At first, they seemed to a regular human, but their skin seemed to glint in the light, and they were dressed in swimming shorts. It was when Junko waved at the figure, who perked up and waved back, walking over to them, was when they got a good look at them. They had golden scales running down their sides and up parts of their upper arms, and they seemed...fairly androgynous. Quite feminine, actually. Which didn't help the fact that they were topless and many people, boys _and_ girls were staring at them.

"Heeey~! Kin~! Over here~" Aoi and Sakura gawked at the sudden change of tone Junko had went through. Even in the killing game, they had never seen Junko use that kind of voice, "I managed to get in after all!~"

"Oh my God, yes! I knew you could do it!" The figure, _Kin_ , crowed, high-fiving Junko as they (seriously, what gender were they?!) stopped , drying their golden-blonde hair with a towel, "Just thought I'd get a little swimming in before the speech. People kept talking about the pool and I got curious."

"Really?~ My friends had actually wanted to check out the pool, too, so I came with them~" Aoi looked at her incredulously, but a quick glare shut her up fast, "Wanna walk with us? Once you've changed, of course."

"Yeah, sure, I'll be right back." With that, Kin walked off, humming to himself, happy about something. As soon as he, if she was guessing right, and that was the 'prince' Junko had found (but good _God_ , was he feminine as hell), was out of earshot, she whirled around.

"What the hell was that?!" She asked.

"What the hell was what?"

"Don't play dumb with us, Junko. That, that cutesy happy voice you had when you talking to them! You never did stuff like that! Hell, you never do anything without a purpose, and usually that purpose is to destroy everything for suffering or cause yourself to suffer. Give me one good reason why I should leave what happened alone right now!"

"I can't analyze him."

"...What?" Aoi gasped out.

"I can't analyze him, or that girl right there, or that boy sitting by the water, or any Hunter or Hunter-in-training there is." Junko continued, a dead serious expression on her face, "Maybe it's Aura, or the fact that I'm virtually an alien here, or some other convoluted reason I can't think of, but somehow, Kin's weirder than the rest. Whenever I look at him with my Semblance on full blast, he only has this sort of odd rippling distortion around him. I think it's related to his Semblance." Her grin turned positively feral, and her eyes seemed to darken, " **He _interests_ me**. So leave him alone, and let me handle him, OK?~" Even Sakura shivered at the barely concealed malice underneath the sugary sweet words, and nodded. Knowing Junko, she probably already had at least fifteen different backup plans in effect if she refused. At least like this, she wouldn't go on a rampage around Beacon, and Kin did seem to enjoy being around her.

"...Fine," Aoi sighed, and turned, "We'll leave him alone, and keep what we saw from Makoto. Now come on, we gotta go to the opening ceremony."

* * *

Weiss Schnee was furious.

After that red-hooded dunce had crashed into her luggage and nearly blew her sky-high, she had been called out by a completely random stranger on her father's despicable methods, and stormed off in fury.

How _dare_ those commoners attempt to degrade her that way?!

"It seems you are angry, miss. What is the matter?" A voice she knew dripped subtle arrogance came from behind her, and she whirled around, to the sight of a blonde boy dressed in designer clothes, with his arms crossed as he sneered at her. The clothes he wore were that of casual clothes, in the form of a green t-shirt, a black vest, and corduroys, yet she could tell that they were high-quality, and probably more expensive then a plot of land based on the material it was made of. Behind him, a girl with glasses and two long braids trailed behind the boy. She wore a light-green strapless dress, made of common cotton, and her mousiness and anxiety seemed to make her seem more awkward an out-of-place, but years of training to be _Father's perfect heiress_ had allowed Weiss to see that the girl was like a willing servant to the boy.

"Why does it matter to you? Who are you, anyways?" She sneered in response. Normally, she would have remembered her formal training, but she was currently too angry to be cordial to a complete stranger. She didn't want to deal with any common rabble at the moment.

"Hmph. I knew you would ask that." The boy pulled out a business card from his right pocket, handing it to her, "I am Byakuya Togami, the Chief Financial Officer of Manning Steelworks, and Mr. Greyson Manning's direct right-hand man. I'm _sure_ your father has spoken of me, Ms. Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company." She hated how Byakuya spoke at her condescendingly, and how the girl behind him seemed to to swoon at his words.

She also hated how her jaw dropped at the revelation.

Of course her father had spoken of Byakuya Togami. In three months, he had joined near-deficit company Manning Steelworks, quickly climbed the ranks, and secured a high-ranking position, the trust of CEO Greyson Manning, and saved the company from bankruptcy. In the corporate world, he was a living legend. A prodigy capable of managing the finances of a company, no matter how deficit, alone, and triumphing over an impossible financial crisis, despite being only 17 years old. The 'Almighty Treasurer', they called him!

And he was _speaking to her right now._

"Oh God." She blurted out.

"Hmph. Now, do you regret talking down so brazenly to Master Byakuya?" The girl said, staring at Weiss with burning eyes.

"Toko," Byakuya said, and the girl's mouth instantly snapped shut, though she still glared at Weiss. Nodding, Byakuya turned back to Weiss, with a stormy frown, "Normally, I would have extended an olive branch in the form of some financial tips for you, but it seems that you do not need my help after all. I will take my leave now." Without waiting for a response, he briskly turned around and walked away, 'Toko' following him.

"Wait!" She called, but he was already out of earshot, and Weiss groaned to herself. Today was just not her day...

* * *

"All I'm trying to say is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" Jaune said, trying to gather any remnants of his dignity in an attempt to make himself seem not pathetic. His only response was the would-be students around him laughing even more, and sighed, realizing how futile it was.

"Look, I'm sorry! Vomit By was the first thing that came to mind!" Ruby said, still chuckling.

"Oh yeah? What if I called you Crater Face?"

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!"

Makoto smiled at the playful banter between his new friends, Ruby and Jaune. This was what they should have had for their school year, instead of Junko's machinations. A peaceful school life, filled with laughter and joy. He only hoped everyone would be able to recover and live peacefully in this new world. At the thought, his expression flickered to a frown, before both Mukuro and Sayaka hugged him.

"Don't worry, Makoto. We'll all heal. You can count on it." Sayaka muttered, Mukuro nodding to her words. Makoto closed his eyes and smiled, missing the glare the two girls sent each other.

"Soooo..." Ruby began, before pulling out what looked like the world's coolest lunchbox, and pressing a button on it. The 'lunchbox' unfurled, revealing a mechanical red scythe with a scope and a gun muzzle sticking out of the shaft, "I got this thing!"

Makoto choked on air at the sight of what was basically the Grim Reaper's newest scythe. Judging by the shocked looks Mukuro and Sayaka had, they were thinking the same thing.

"Whoa! Is...that a scythe?!" Jaune asked, his voice tinged with awe.

"Yep~" Ruby chirped, "It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!"

"A-wha?"

"It's also a really powerful gun," Mukuro answered for Ruby, who grinned happily and cocked the gun, "It can hit people from at least 300 meters away, but the recoil is hell on your body. I'm surprised you can handle using a weapon like that, Ruby."

"No one can handle using Crescent Rose except me~" Ruby hugged Crescent Rose to her like a teddy bear, before looking at them with eager eyes, "So what've you guys got?"

"I have this combat knife that shifts into a handgun." Mukuro said, unsheathing Wolf Fang and twirling it, causing it to shift into it's pistol form, "It's versatile, easy to use, and I _really_ like the design. I call it Wolf Fang after..." She paused, looking forlorn, and seeing this, Sayaka decided to spare her for once and jump in.

"W-Well, I have This rapier-slash-revolver!" She proclaimed, drawing Orchard Blade and holding it up in the air, "It can shoot Dust rounds and the blade is imbued with Fire Dust, so it cauterizes any wound I make! I call it Orchard Blade, and it's super cool~" She turned to Jaune, who looked back.

"W-Wait, me?" He asked after a few seconds, before sighing and drawing weapon after everyone else nodded, "I, uh, I got this sword!"

"Oooh!"

"Yeah, and I've got a shield, too!" Jaune raised his left arm, where the scabbard was, and it suddenly expanded into a shield, causing sparkles to appear in Ruby's eyes.

"So, what do they do?" She asked, poking the shield.

"Well, the shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it around, I can just put...it...away..."

"But doesn't it weigh the same?"

"Yeah, it does..." Jaune sighed dejectedly, causing Makoto to pat his back.

"Cheer up, man, you're luckier than me. I have a sword and shield too, but they can't shift because I can't risk activating the Dust Crystals here." He drew Jeweled General, showing it off to Ruby and Jaune, who both gasped in awe at the bejeweled blade shining before them, "The sword and shield have Dust crystals embedded into them, and if I I push my Aura in either of them, I can activate one of these crystals randomly. I couldn't find any room to put a shifting mechanism anywhere, so I just left it like this. I call it Jeweled General."

"Ooooh!~ Gimmegimmegimme!" Ruby chirped, her hands eagerly reaching towards the sword as her eyes sparkled. Chuckling, Makoto handed her the sword and shield, and she quickly took them, retreating into her cloak, which actually seemed bigger than it looked, and giggling to herself.

"Dude, I honestly know how you feel. Before I found out about the shield mechanism, I just walked around with the shield out all the time. It looked super weird." Jaune told Makoto, who nodded in thanks.

"Wow, Ruby, you seem really interested in weapons." Mukuro said, and Ruby poked her head out of her cloak

"Weeeell~ I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I went a little overboard designing Crescent Rose, after all..." Ruby laughed nervously and scratched the back of the head, while Jaune and Makoto gaped at her.

"Wait, you _made_ Crescent Rose?!" Jaune exclaimed, staring at Ruby like she was a prodigal blacksmith.

"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?"

"Not really...It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war..." Jaune looked dejected, staring at his feet, and Ruby cringed a little at her words.

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" She tried, laughing a bit, "Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days! Seeing you and Makoto with swords and shields really makes you gotta think of the old days, you know?~" Jaune smiled at her words.

"Yeah, gotta appreciate the classics every now and then." Makoto piped up, Ruby having given him Jeweled General back after she was done marveling at it.

"Thanks, guys...So, you have any idea where we're going?" Jaune asked, looking around the completely unfamiliar area they were now in.

"I was actually following you..."

"I honestly have no idea where this is. Thought I saw the brochure, too..." Makoto trailed off, looking around, "Uuuuhh...guys? Which path leads to the amphitheater?"

Everyone just looked at each other, before they took off in different directions, hoping to finding the amphitheater quickly.

* * *

"Where are they? They should have arrived by now..." Hifumi murmured, anxiously fidgeting and occasionally grabbing Wishmaker and inspecting it while it was in compact form. While a good chunk of Class 78 had gone off to do their own thing, the rest had agreed to regroup with them in the amphitheater, and left. They were currently waiting for the Headmaster to appear and make his speech, but he seemed to be running late, judging by the empty stage and concerned whispering.

"Ah, don't worry about it! They're probably running late or doing whatever they want!" Leon replied, before his expression turned nervous, "Though that's not a good thing when it comes to Junko..." Everyone collectively shuddered.

"Hhhhhhmmmm...My psychic senses...they're telling me that Asahina-san, Sakura-san, Junko, and someone we don't know will walk through the door very soon!" Hagakure declared dramatically, pointing at the exit.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hagakure! There's no way they-"

"There is no way you can beat me when it comes to swimming!" Asahina's angry voice came from the doorway, and they turned to see her angrily arguing with a smug girl while Junko and Sakura watched from the sidelines, with Sakura shaking her head in exasperation, and Junko snickering at the sight.

"Hmph. You may have a crazy amount of talent when it comes to swimming, but swimming is literally in my _genetics_ , Asahina. You'll never beat me in swimming, end of story." The girl replied, covering her mouth with one hand and doing an 'ooooohohohohohohohooo~~' laugh. Asahina looked angrier at the girl's statement if anything.

"I-you-how did you do that?!" Leon exclaimed, while Hagakure, who just stared at his hands as Asahin and the girl bantered back and forth.

"I...I don't know. I just had this feeling that it would happen!" He looked around in confusion, "The feeling's gone, but I feel like there's something lingering there. Guys, please tell me I just unlocked my Semblance, because if I did, I am so holding this over your heads."

"Oh, please. Maybe if you do it three times in a row, then it could be a Semblance." Celeste muttered, looking jealous for some reason, "I don't think there's any possible-"

"Makoto, Sayaka and Mukuro are going to come though that door with two people we don't know, some chick in white is going to come in muttering to herself, and Byakuya and Toko are are going to come in looking smug for some reason," Hagakure rattled off, looking confused. Before Celeste could reply, the events happened in order, while Hagakure just stared incredulously.

"...Fine. You unlocked your Semblance! Goddammit, where's _my_ Semblance?!" Celeste shrieked, fuming and unintentionally shedding the mask of a calm and collected woman.

"...Dude, I think you can actually see the future now." Leon grumbled out, "That is pure bullshit, man."

"...So my Semblance is Clairvoyance? _Niiiiiiice._ "

"Ignoring Hagakure's newfound _Semblance_ ," Celeste gritted out, "Perhaps we could call the others here?"

"I'm on it," Mondo, who had been the first person here, with Chihiro and Ishimaru following behind, muttered, "HEY, GUYS! WE'RE OVER HERE!" Evidently, they heard his voice, if Makoto perking up, and Junko turning to glare at him was any indication. Makoto seemed to say something to a red-cloaked girl and a boy wearing a chestplate before he, Mukuro, and Sayaka walked over to them. Similarly, Junko, Sakura, and Asahina also headed towards them...but, for some reason, with the girl in tow.

'Act normally', Junko mouthed, before she turned to the girl, "And this is the graduating class I was in! It's still kinda hard to believe everyone managed to make it in!"

"Wow, everyone must have been pretty good if they made it into Beacon together!" The girl chirped, grinning as she looked at the group of Ultimates, "I'm Kin Sakana. It's nice to meet you all!"

"I ran into Kin at the Drunk Elephant back in summer. You should have seen him, he managed to stop a bar fight with a pair of thimbles and his words!" Oh, so Junko had known-

Wait.

Did she just say _'him'_?

The group, as one, mechanically turned towards the undoubtedly feminine figure grinning at them, then back towards Junko.

" _What._ "

"Hey guys, what's going-" Makoto began as he walked over, before noticing Kin. He choked on air, and Mukuro and Sayaka worriedly patting his back when he started coughing. When he stopped, he opened his mouth to say something, right when the microphone, and everyone turned towards the stage, where he and Glynda Goodwitch stood.

"I will...keep this brief," Ozpin began, "You have traveled here in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills humans could only have dreamed of. You have traveled to become finer Hunters, to save others, to gain fame and glory beyond your imagination.

"But I look upon you, and I see nothing but wasted talent, energy thrown away, in need of direction, of _purpose_. I see children who are carrying toy weapons and shields, preparing to charge into the unknown wilderness and fight the Grimm with naught but your bare hands and sheer dumb luck.

"You have come here assuming knowledge will free you of such arrogance, but you must learn that knowledge will only carry you so far. Because there will be a time where your knowledge runs out, and you will have to discover what to do on your own," He paused at his, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "In the end, it is up to you to take the first step. Whatever you choose to or not...will be the deciding factor. Thank you, everyone."

He walked away briskly, to the murmurs of confused students, before Goodwitch cleared her throat.

"You will all gather in the ballroom tonight. Bring supplies, clothes, and necessities with you. Tomorrow, your initiation begins at 9AM sharp. Be ready. You are all dismissed." She walked out as well, following the Headmaster, and Class 78 stared at where they had been, Junko looking oddly pensive.

"Well, I should probably go unpack. See you guys later!" Before anyone could reply, Kin had ran off towards the ballroom, and Junko pouted at the sight, before turning back towards the stage, looking confused.

"The Headmaster...it was like he wasn't there. Like he was extremely distracted with something, but what?" She asked herself, and Mukuro shivered at the intrigue slowly leaking into her voice.

For fuck's sake, couldn't her sister just try not to disturb any semblance of peace anywhere she was?!

* * *

It was 9 PM, and Class 78 was currently bunched together, discussing what the initiation was.

"It could be a combat trial. Seeing as this is a combat school, they could have us fight one of the professors or other students. Perhaps even some simulations of Grimm," Ishimaru reasoned, wearing white pajama pants and slippers. He had forgone wearing a shirt, as did a few of the males.

"Nah, I'm thinking we'll do some sort of field test. Like surveying the land and stuff. I'm pretty sure Hunters have a bunch of long-term missions, so they have to make use of resources and what not." Leon replied, dressed in the most cliché baseball-print pajamas known to man. Even Junko gawked at it, before laughing out loud.

"I have a feeling we'll be doing some sort of survival test. They'll put us in a completely random area to test our skills, and see how we lead, how we fight, et cetera." Mukuro suggested, wearing a loose fitting t-shirt and combat slacks as she casually checked Wolf Fang over, "Heck, with Aura, they'll probably throw us off a cliff and tell us to survive."

"I just hope I can use Acheron." Mondo just said, laying down in his sleeping bad, and massaging his eyes. He wore a black tank top and grey sweatpants, scratching the back of his head as he talked, "Ozpin's initiation might put me in a pickle if I can't use my weapon."

It had become common for Class 78 to discuss strategies, what with any doubts and paranoia due to some working with their killers, having been dispelled over the course of the 3 months they spent together. All except for Junko, of course. They were still paranoid that she would find a way to screw them over somehow.

"Regardless of what the test is, we must look out for each other. I saw a few celebrities roaming the campus as I explored, and some of them are already seeing who is most compatible with them in terms of skill. We need to stick close if we want to be on the same teams," Byakuya supplied, dressed in pajamas made from silk and gold thread. It seemed that even in another world, his tendencies as a Scion seemed to shine through.

"Togami-san's right. Earlier, I overheard people discussing who they were going to partner with at the amphitheater. Chances are that somehow, our partners will end up being random. We need some way to ensure we end up with each other..."

"...Mukuro, that sounded far more emotional then what I thought you were capable of being." Togami muttered, causing Mukuro to cough nervously and looked away, blushing.

"Ahem...anyways, we should get some rest. I'll see where Junko's run off to, can you see where Makoto's gone?"

"I'll do it~~" Sayaka replied, grinning smugly at Mukuro, who had instantly glared at her before grumbling.

"Thanks, Sayaka..." She gritted out. Sayaka just smiled at her. That in itself somehow scared anyone watching the two more than Mukuro's killing intent being physically projected at Sayaka. It stayed like this for a bit, before Sayaka abruptly turned away and walked off, Mukuro grinning triumphantly as she turned and walked in the opposite direction.

It was slent for a few seconds.

"...Makoto's screwed, isn't he?" There was scattered murmurs of agreement, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Sayaka to find Makoto. He had been sitting on the floor, speaking to a blonde boy wearing the most cringe-inducing blue bunny footsies she had ever seen. She had actually needed to pause and turn away to keep from vomiting at the sight, a feat that had not gone unnoticed by many a student-to-be. Some had shot her thumbs-up when she managed to steel herself, impressed by her bravery.

"Hey, Sayaka!" Makoto called, waving at her as she walked over. Blushing, she hurried over and plopped down besides him, "Jaune, this is Sayaka Maizono. She's a childhood friend of mine, and helped design Jeweled General. She's helped me a lot." The blonde boy, Jaune, grinned andstuck out a hand.

"Pleased to meet you! Jaune Arc. Short sweet, ladies love it." He said, and Sayaka couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do they?" She asked, and he visibly wilted.

"It's the second time today..." Makoto patted Jaune's back, trying to hold in his snickers.

"There, there. Sooner or later, we'll find a better intro for you." Jaune seemed happy at first, smiling, before he noticed Makoto's hand slightly shaking.

"Dude, seriously?"

"I can't help it! It's hilarious!" Makoto wheezed out, giving up on hiding his laughter, much to Jaune's chagrin. Sayaka took a moment to see how much Makoto looked like his age, instead of when he seemed to age a decade whenever he took command of the group, before clearing her throat.

"I, uh, hate to break up the conversation, but everyone's looking for you, Makoto..." She said sheepishly, laughing nervously, "They kinda sent me here to get you."

"Really? Man, I didn't notice the time. I'll see you tomorrow, Jaune" He smiled as he began to head back, Sayaka smiling at Jaune before turning around to follow him.

"Huh. She looks familiar..." Jaune mused, before shrugging, "Meh. I'm sure it's not that important."

* * *

Mukuro snuck around the empty hallways near the ballroom, looking for his sister. It was almost curfew, and soon, the teachers would come by to watch over the future students.

Students...

Mukro's mind began to wander, thinking about her previous life back on Earth. Everyone at Hope's Peak had welcomed her, made her feel human. Even after they had learned what she had done, how many she killed on the battlefield, they had acted like nothing was wrong, declaring her to still be their friend.

And she had repaid them by ending the world and trapping them in a killing game that drove most of them over the edge. And even then, her own sister had betrayed her just to sate her despair addiction momentarily. Life sucked for her. It really did.

Shaking her head, to clear her thoughts, she turned the corner...and paused.

Because there, chatting with that girl Mukuro had seen her with, was Junko Enoshima, _genuinely smiling_ for the first time since she was five. She seemed so relaxed, like she could truly act like she wasn't broken or insane. Probably because anything with Aura made it impossible for her to read. Heck, that girl was the one who had run into her at the bar, if she remembered correctly. Mukuro never did get all the details from Makoto.

"...And then Makoto slipped on some water and just fell headfirst into the pool!" Junko was saying, causing the girl to chuckle as they walked towards the corner, "He was OK afterwards, but his eyes were legitimately spinning, and Sayaka and Mukuro had rushed over, looking him over. Let me tell you, Leon looked so jealous of Makoto that day. He didn't let up until 2 weeks later."

"Damn, Enoshima. Your school life must have been awesome. Where I went, the staff were pretty nice, but we didn't have nearly as much stuff as you." The girl replied, before stretching and yawning, "Well, it's almost curfew. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck at initiation."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow~," Junko replied, as the girl walked around the corner and nearly bumped into Mukuro.

"Oh! Sorry." She quickly apologized, before running off. Mukuro looked at the girl's retreating figure, before shrugging and turning back around.

Only to find Junko staring at her, 2 inches away from her face.

"Hey, sis~"

Oh shit.

"I couldn't help but notice you spying on me~"

Oh _shit._

"So tell me, dear sister... **what were you thinking, spying on the great Junko-sama?~** "

 _Oh shit-eating son of a bitch, Sayaka probably knew this would happen._

"Oh, uh, h-hi, Junko!" She sputtered, mentally cursing herself. Dammit, she thought she had gotten over her inferiority complex with Junko! "I, uh, I was looking for you! The others were...hoping you...would...come back."

It was at this moment that Mukuro noticed that even with her 'crown' on, Junko had this cold, empty glare as she spoke. She hadn't even bothered acting as her 'royal personality', but instead just stared at her, with those cold, dead, yet somehow angry eyes.

Mukuro was the Former Ultimate Soldier, an unparalleled child soldier regarded as the greatest mercenary back on Earth. A powerhouse compared to be a modern Benkei, the pinnacle of human combat ability and machine-like military obedience. She could utterly decimate three platoons with a single machine gun, a combat knife, and a camouflage outfit. She could kill her own sister a hundred times over before Junko could even scratch her if she wanted.

She was currently very close to pissing her pants at the sight of her sister seething at her.

"I, uh, well, you see..." With every mess up she made, Junko's expression seemed to darken, "...I'm sorry, sis?"

The way she said it just seemed so pathetic.

Junko kept glaring for a bit, then sighed and turned away, "Let's go, sis. Normally, I would punish you for this, but now's not the time."

Mukuro was too busy gasping in relief to question the sudden change in attitude.

* * *

"All students are accounted for, Headmaster. There are no students roaming the campus," Glynda said, checking her Scroll for any stragglers. There had been a pair of girls wandering the hallways near the ballroom, but they had long since returned.

"Thank you, Glynda. Have you sent out the messages to Qrow and General Ironwood?" Ozpin asked, his tone clipped and far more grim than Glynda felt comfortable.

"I have, sir. They are en route towards Vale as we speak. I have...also sent a message to Raven...as a precaution." She could feel the air around Ozpin grow somber, and winced. She probably should not have brought the extra message up.

"...Thank you. We should return to the Tower. Have all cameras activated within the ballroom, and have Professors Port and Oobleck guard the doors. At this rate, we can no longer risk any of the students being spies for _her._ " He glanced at Glynda, and she nodded, already typing Ozpin's orders to send to Port and Oobleck.

"Ozpin..." Glynda couldn't keep the concern from leaking into her voice. At that moment, the Headmaster of Beacon seemed to age a decade, his features growing tired and broken, a glazed look appearing in his eyes.

"I have made far too many mistakes in my lifetime, Glynda," He replied, sounding so old, and weary, "Not this time. I swear it."

* * *

Far away from any of the Four Kingdoms, in a castle black and twisted and somehow _alive_ , in a grim wasteland none would dare travel to, black eyes with red irises narrowed in intrigue.

* * *

 **A/N: Shorter chapter this time, mainly because there isn't really much to cover. It's really only Class 78 and their reactions to arriving at Beacon, then little parts about the night before Initiation. Really not a lot.**

 **On the other hand, Yandere!Junko is possibly the only way I can write Junko at this point. Welp, looks like Kin's screwed, amirite lads or amirite lads?**

 **'You are right, lad!'**

 **Thanks, lad.**

 **Anyways, With Class 78's arrival at Beacon, Ozpin and Glynda are already suspicious, due to Salem's machinations. Not like they wouldn't, really. I mean, if sixteen people spontaneously did something like sending in applications despite their records appearing after only 3 months ago, anyone would be suspicious...or, if you're an idiot, oblivious.**

 **But besides that, it seems that some of the former Ultimates have already begun building a reputation (cough cough Sayaka and Byakuya cough). Yeah, this is probably going to come back to bite them in the ass.**

 **And...uh...that's it, I guess. Not much to say this time.**

 **But with that out of the way, you know the drill. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me or put them in the reviews. Still looking for a beta reader, BTW. If you have a beta profile and literally any sense of good English skills, let me know. In the meantime, send me any mistakes you find, and I'll be sure to fix them.**

 **With all that done, this is Gold Magikarp, signing out! Peace, and happy Memorial Day!**

 **Edit: Poll is now open! Start voting, people!**


	5. Chapter 4: Canopy Ocean

**Before this chapter begins, let me say this.**

 **RWBY girls are not an option for Makoto, unfortunately, so don't bother asking. Kyoko would probably see Makoto as a partner instead of a love interest. The possibility is still there, though, so I'll add her to the poll.**

 **And there _will_ be side ships with Jaune, Ren, and a few other male characters (No, not yaoi ships, ya pervs...unless you want yaoi ships, then send them in,). If you have any side ships, send them in.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Canopy Ocean**

* * *

" _If you keep reading between the lines, you'll never see what's on the page."_

 _-Unknown_

* * *

Makoto woke up to the sound of excited chatter and the feeling of sunlight blasting itself onto his face.

Grumbling and rubbing the sand from his eyes, he looked around blearily, and saw an orange-haired girl chattering with a black-haired boy, though there was an odd pink streak in his hair. And it seemed less of a conversation, and more of the girl talking to herself, with the boy nodding every now and then.

Makoto was pretty sure the boy was still half-comatose, somehow.

Next to him, the others were beginning to stir, some yawning and stretching, while others merely groaned and tried to worm themselves deeper into their sleeping bags.

"...S' too early f'r this..." Sayaka whined out, managing to look like a blue cocoon, as she rolled over, trying to keep the sunlight from shining on her face. Mukuro growled in what sounded like agreement, squirming around and clenching her eyes shut. Makoto couldn't help but smile at the sight, before leaning over and nudging them.

"Guys, come on~ We have Initiation today." He chastised in a somewhat playful tone, "If you stay in, we won't be able to get pancakes~"

"PANCAKES." In an instant, Sayaka was sitting up, drooling at the mere mention of her favorite breakfast food. Mukuro just made an odd whining noise and tried squirming away. Makoto chuckled and tried to rouse Mukuro again, while Sayaka scrambled out of her sleeping bag and rushed towards the bathroom.

Close by, Leon stared at Makoto with envy, as did some of the other males.

"Man, how the heck did he manage to get those two to fall for him? The guy's denser than a brick if even _he_ doesn't realize how they feel," Leon mumbled, whoever was listening to him nodding along.

"Come on, Ren, come on! We have to discuss partner strategies!" The ginger-haired girl exclaimed, dragging the exhausted black-haired boy, Ren, with her. Leon shot him a look of pity, before stretching.

"Come on, we should go prepare for Initiation, too." He murmured, leading most of Class 78 towards the bathroom. Meanwhile, Makoto was murmuring something to Mukuro, who was still sleeping, and Junko was...nothing to be seen, actually. Leon paused, and frantically looked around, panicking. Where the hell did she go?!

* * *

Junko looked at the sleeping face of Kin Sakana, her eyes seeming to glitch between a state of clear and filled with swirls. The boy, even though her talent and Semblance kept insisting he was a girl, had been quite literally the only person to have a distinction with him whenever she tried to analyze him. Other Hunters she used her Semblance on remained clear, while citizens had everything about them displayed in neat little blue boxes. Kin, on the other hand, would seem to ripple whenever she tried to scan him, unlike the everyone else, something that seemed to hint at his Semblance, and something Junko would have dismissed...were it not for the fact that he was the only one who had such an effect.

"...Mrgle..." Kin grumbled, swatting at the sunlight shining on his face. Junko giggled and poked at his face, causing him to stir, "...J'nko?"

"Hey, sleepyhead~" Junko said, snickering as Kin pulled himself up and tried to pat down his bed head, "We gotta prepare for Initiation, come on, get up~" Kin whined, flopping down.

"Five more minutes..."

"Come on, Kin~ They have waffles~" Kin whined, and looked at Junko with puppy eyes.. Unimpressed, Junko looked back with even more soulful puppy eyes, and Kin winced.

"...B-But sleep..." Junko mock pouted, and put her hands on her hands on her hips.

"You better get up, mister, or else, I'll...uh...I'll..."Junko paused when she realized she couldn't think of anything to say. Kin smirked and playfully stuck his tongue out at her.

"The waffles aren't going anywhere~" He teased, "Besides, it's only five minutes..." Junko pouted, for real this time, and plopped down next to him, constantly poking his face, "Junko, stoooop..."

"I'm not going to make it easy for you to sleep if you're not getting up now." She grumbled. Kin whined and tried to turn away, but Junko kept poking his face, until he blearily glared at her and slowly sat up.

"You owe me for this...meanie..." Junko playfully stuck her tongue out at him, as he pushed himself up, "Come on, I want to make sure there are waffles when we get to breakfast!"

Neither of them noticed amber eyes staring in relief and amusement at the interaction between the two, nor did they see a little black bow twitch, ever so slightly.

* * *

"I can't believe we've been at Beacon for a full twenty-four hours! Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything, I mean, you're the perfect student and I'm... well, I'm _me_! But it's just crazy, you know?"

Mondo stared at the ginger girl who had been managing to talk for 15 minutes straight without taking a single breath, shooting the boy she was talking to a look of pity.

"Oowada-dono, about Initiation." Mondo turned towards Hifumi, who had been discussing how Initiation would work for him, "Who are you going to partner up with? You would work well with a large amount of people, because of your talent, but..." He trailed off, and Mondo knew what Hifumi didn't want to say when he glanced at Chihiro and Ishimaru.

"I...haven't decided...and I still can't look at Chihiro without remembering what I've done to him, and who knows what Ishimaru thinks of me now..." Hifumi winced, looking away guiltily. He hadn't meant to pick at old scars, "I'll need some time to think about it."

Hifumi nodded. After what he had done to Ishimaru, before being killed by Celeste, he had been trying to stay for away from her for the last three months. It was hard to just pretend that nothing was wrong, that they could still be social to each other after she murdered him, and he was fairly certain she felt the same way about her murdering him. Even now, he still had nightmares about the event, though thankfully, Junko seemed to leave him and the others alone whenever the topic came up.

He swore, the fact that Celeste was willing to make her own royal milk tea to avoid coming in contact with him spoke volumes. It was honestly a little frightening how much her mood would change upon seeing him.

"Cheer up, Oowada-dono. We will get through this, I know it." Hifumi replied, patting Mondo on the back. Mondo smiled at him in gratitude, as the two, finished with preparing for the day, left to pack everything.

* * *

Mukuro sighed as she tightened the straps on her sleeping bag, thinking of the time she spent with Fenrir. Even though she had been...'persuaded' in a manner into joining, she couldn't deny the fact that the experiences had left her with the combat skills she needed to serve her sister well. Even after death, she still wanted to stay within Junko's good graces, at least until she could explain the reason why she disappeared. And...well, she had made a few friends in Fenrir, who she wondered how they were doing at the moment. She honestly hoped they were okay.

"Penny...er, Lien for your thoughts?" Mukuro turned to see Sayaka looking at her, her sleeping bag already packed away, "You looked super deep in thought, and kinda sad."

"Yeah, no, it's just...I've been thinking about life with Fenrir. Even if it was horrifying, some of the best moments of my life on Earth were still made there, with my fellow mercenaries..." She felt her mood plummet at that, "If any of them died, then it'd be my fault..."

"C'mon, Mukuro, don't say that! The Tragedy was caused by your sister, You had nothing to do with it!"

"But I did, Sayaka. Junko was the brains, but I was the muscle behind the operation. If I wasn't with her, her plans would have definitely failed," Mukuro ran a hand down her face, "Sometimes, I ask myself what the hell I'm doing with you and Makoto and everyone. It's still hard to believe everyone forgave me..."

"Of course everyone forgave you! You were working under your sister's orders, even if it was by your own free will. You never did anything to cause the Tragedy! Heck, the most involved you were was as Junko's bodyguard!"

"I..." Mukuro took a deep breath, and smiled at Sayaka, "Thanks, Sayaka. I really needed to hear that, I guess. Any way I can repay you?"

"Maybe you can stop trying to win Makoto over?"

" _Don't push it, Maizono._ "

"Aaaaaawwww..."

* * *

"Heretic! I will teach you the true breakfast god, Lord Pancake! Ren, let me go so I can pound that girl into dust for insulting pancakes!"

Aoi Asahina was conflicted.

"Junko, please, let me go! I'm only going to slightly kill her for saying waffles are inferior to pancakes!"

Aoi Asahina was _very_ conflicted.

"Nora, NORA! Don't, please, just ignore her!" The black-haired she had seen with 'Nora', Ren, was holding Nora back from actively beating Kin to a pulp.

"Kin! Kin, it's OK! You can fight her when we're students, just sit, please!" On the other hand, Junko was struggling to hold _Kin_ back from trying to fight Nora. The fact that the boy's face was twisted in a cute-ish face that somehow scared Aoi more than an angry Sakura was a bit concerning.

"Aoi, the others wanted me to tell you to—What is...what is going on here?" Aoi vaguely noticed the voice of her best friend behind her, and she definitely heard others gasp as Sakura walked up to her, staring at the scene.

"I...I don't know anymore..."

"Repent, sinner!" Nora screamed, straining against Ren's arms, who seemed to be growing increasingly tired, "Repent, and I shall spare your worthless waffle-loving life!"

"That's my line, you pancake-loving blasphemer!" Kin replied, Junko keeping him locked in place as he vainly kicked his legs in the air, "How dare you insinuate that paltry cake ripoffs that need butter to look good, are better than deliciously fluffy syrup collectors!"

"Goldilocks wannabe!"

"Ginger-haired barbarian!"

"Blonde washboard!"

"Dough-brained cow!"

"I'm going to stick you on a skewer and roast you on an open fire!"

"All that fat from the butter went to all the wrong fucking places, bitch!"

"Sakura," Aoi whined out, as she watched the two being held back hurl insults at each other, "Sanity is dead, isn't it?"

Sakura just gave her a sympathetic pat on a back and a pitying look.

It didn't help in the slightest.

* * *

Makoto Naegi didn't know what to say. Or if he should even say anything at the moment.

On one hand, Mondo was trying to patch things up with Chihiro and Ishimaru, looking extremely guilty while Chihiro seemed to be holding back tears. Leon was doing the same with Sayaka, tears openly streaming down his face as he babbled apologies to the one he had killed in self-defense. Mukuro stood nearby, smiling at Sayaka, which was concerning, considering the two had nearly been at each other's throats for some unknown reason over the past three months. While it was a sad moment, everyone seemed to have a weight lifted off their shoulders, seeming less tense than before, and Makoto couldn't help but smile at the thought.

On the other hand, Aoi seemed lost, Sakura was trying to comfort her for some reason, Junko seemed to be happily chatting with Kin Sakana, who Makoto was still unsure about his (her? Their? Honestly, Makoto didn't know anymore) gender, and Kin was openly glaring at the talkative ginger-haired girl from this morning, the girl in turn glaring back. The killing intent between the two was so palpable that it was near-visible.

"Celeste?" He asked.

"Yes?"

"Why is Leon groveling before Sayaka and holding out a bunch of apology letters in the middle of the locker room?"

"Whatever do you mean by _oh my lord what is Leon doing_?" Celeste gaped at the scene, a look of morbid embarrassment creeping onto her face.

"Should...should we stop him?" Makoto asked.

"I don't think we should. Sayaka seems to...really, _really_ enjoy this," Celeste pointed at the smug face Sayaka had, as she practically preened in Leon's emotional agony. Makoto quickly made a mental note to keep Sayaka away from Junko for the foreseeable future.

"A-Anyways...is everyone ready for Initiation? Any weapon maintenance or repairs we need to do as a last-minute resort?" Celeste cocked Royal Flush, nodding in approval and reverting it into it's staff form.

"Other than Mondo adding a few decals to Acheron, everyone is prepared for Initiation. We have combat uniforms ready, and enough time to change before heading for the cliffs." She replied, Makoto nodding to her words.

"Gather the others. We head out together."

"Should I get Junko?"

"...On second thought, let's leave her be. She seems to be enjoying Kin's presence."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you _really_ want to drag the insanely obsessive super-analyst away from the only thing besides despair that makes her happy?" Celeste paled at the statement.

"Point taken. I'll get everyone else so we can change."

* * *

"Come on, Kin, I wanna see what you use in combat!"

"Junko, it's...I'm not bringing my real weapon into Initiation." Junko stumbled a bit as they walked towards the 500's lockers, looking for their respective lockers and such.

"What? Why?! You're going to get killed out there if you don't bring your own weapon!"

"Junko, don't worry! I'm trained with what I'm bringing to Initiation, and I gotta keep a trump card up my sleeves! You know, save it for someone who might be a hassle to fight in combat class! Like...er...that blonde chick from the nightclub!" Kin defended, trying to reason his way out of an 'angry Junko' situation.

"Wait, she's attending Beacon?"

"Yeah, I saw her talking with some red-hooded girl last night. I think they're sisters. B-But besides that, I want to save it for someone hard! Like the blonde chick! Or Pyrrha Nikos! Or you!"

"Me?~" Junko couldn't help but let a bit of playfulness leak into her voice, smirking at Kin, who squeaked and turned away, blushing.

"I-I-It's not what you think it is! You just seem very strong and smart, in addition to how hot you are and WHY AM I DIGGING MYSELF A DEEPER HOLE?!" Junko snickered.

"So, what was that about me being hot-"

"OH LOOK IT'S OUR LOCKERS HAHAHAHA I'M GOING TO GO ON AHEAD NOW" Kin speed-walked away, blushing up a storm and sweating profusely as he tried to avoid Junko's eyes. She put on a teasing smirk, waiting until Kin turned around the corner and left her line of sight...

….And promptly slapped her hands to her cheeks, squealing to herself and blushing.

"He thinks I look hot!" She cheered, humming to herself happily as she followed him, reveling in the strange new feeling she was currently experiencing.

She ignored the sight of her former classmates staring at her in horror.

"Oh God, Junko's finally snapped," She swore she heard Leon mutter.

* * *

Makoto was finally dressed in his combat uniform, and waiting for everyone else. He wore a grey t-shirt under a black jacket and brown hiking pants with black hiking boots. A completely average outfit that fit him to a tee. He also had a sheath and a strap for Jeweled General, and a dark green commissar cap with silver trim that practically everyone had bullied him into wearing. Sayaka and Mukuro had apparently loved the sight of him taking charge, and thought the hat further enforced the image of him as a leader. He had his emblem, a circle within an eight-pointed star within a larger circle, on the very front of his hat.

He really didn't get it, but everyone liked it, so here he was. He felt like a bancho about to lead his gang to a big fight.

'Technically, that's what I'm doing, right?' He thought to himself. 'God, it's been three months, and even Junko's agreed that I'm the de-facto leader of Class 78. I guess this is how class reps must have felt like back in school.'

"Oh, Makoto!" Makoto turned at the sound of Sayaka's voice...and immediately held his nose to keep blood from pouring out at the sight, "How do we look?"

Sayaka had thrown a bit of her idol mannerisms into making her combat outfit, and it certainly showed. She wore a pink shirt that bared her midriff and black short shorts, with white knee-height boots, a black armband around her right forearm, and a white wristband around her left wrist. A small pink ribbon sat on top of her head, as she grinned at Makoto. Her emblem, a blue flower bud, was sewn onto the back of her shirt.

Honestly, if Makoto didn't know any better, he thought Sayaka was trying to seduce him. That wasn't possible, right?

Right?

Meanwhile, Mukuro had wore a black blouse with red trim, under a durable bulletproof vest she had...borrowed from the local police. She wore a brown skirt and black combat boots, with hidden knives in the soles. A red ribbon was wrapped her left wrist, and she had a knife holster strapped around her right thigh, There was a picture of a wolf with open jaws on her blouse's left shoulder. For some reason, Makoto thought she looked super cute like this. The massive blush on her face, for some reason, didn't help. Why was she blushing anyways?

"So? Come on, tell us!~" Makoto managed to let out a strangled squeak, before blood burst from his nose and he fell backwards in a dead faint. Sayaka and Mukuro quickly ran over to him, worried.

"Oh God, did I overdo it?!" Sayaka cried, as Mukuro glared at her for causing this.

"Hurk...So...cute..." Makoto gasped out unconsciously, and the two girls turned towards each other.

"...He was talking about me."

"Grow up, Ikasuba, Makoto was clearly talking about _me_!" The two girls glared as each other for a few seconds, then Sayaka sighed, and helped Makoto up,

"Let's just get him awake..." She grumbled.

* * *

It was time.

Initiation would start in five minutes, and Class 78 was headed for the Beacon cliffs, fully prepped and looking ready for war. Everyone had a unique outfit made specifically for combat alone, that they took pride in.

Junko, ever the fashionista she was proclaimed to be, wore a trendy black-and-white designer shirt that had the caption "Monochrome World", and designer jeans, with various grenade belts strapped all over her body. Her weapons, which she had named "Gray Zone", were matched with a pair of steel gray loafers, and her signature Monokuma pins, as she strutted confidently towards the cliff. Her emblem, which she had sewn into the right breast, was...a Monokuma head.

Ishimaru wore a crisp white military uniform with gold-colored epaulettes, two tiny spikes poking out of the tips. He had black military boots, and an armband on both of his forearms, The one on the left read "Justice", while the one on the right read "Morality". Ishimaru said that the Vale Police Department had gifted him this uniform as a reward for his work as head of the Police Morals and Ethics Committee, and an exceptional junior officer. His emblem was a gavel and a scythe crossed together, with the word "Guilty" above, and the word "Innocent" below, the symbol. He had the emblem put on the jacket's right shoulder, beneath the epaulette.

Mondo wore his old gang leader outfit, every detail copied down to a tee. This time, however, he added metal-studded anti-blade gloves imbued with Dust to make it more durable, and a cough mask with painted red diamond patterns all over it. On the back of his tokko-fuku, however, the words "Crazy King of Diamonds" was written in bold letters in red. Even in another world, Mondo took pride in being the leader of the Crazy Diamonds, if the emblem he chose, a crown with a red diamond over the center, was anything to believe.

Leon traded in his white blazer and grunge skull t-shirt for a white t-shirt with a hannya mask design under a black leather jacket, and his usual jeans for light blue ripped jeans. He wore the same white platform shoes from when he attended Hope's Peak, and the same padlocked necklace, but he had thrown away his studded belts and rings, and now wore two simple chains hanging from a belt loop and running into his pocket. The chains themselves were connected to Dust crystals he had encased for emergencies. His emblem, an eight intersecting over a one, was planted on the back of his jacket.

Byakuya was dressed a bit...flashier, than everyone else. He wore a black tuxedo shirt under a dark red suit. His socks were made of silk, his gloves were an immaculate white, his shoes were hand-crafted by artisans, and there was a fancy pocketwatch in his breast pocket. Everything he wore was extremely expensive, and if one looked closely, they would see gold fiber woven within the material of the gloves. Everything about him screamed 'Kneel before me, you worthless commoners', and others who saw him were...angered, to say the least.

Toko wore...her old school uniform. Well, not really. It was a cleaner version of her old school uniform, with a blood-red brooch near the center of the chest, but that was pretty much the only change she had made. Apparently, Syo favored what she wore, and Toko was forced to go along with it.

Kyoko wore a grey jacket over a white blouse, and a short lavender skirt, held up by a leather belt. Her studded black gloves were still on her, though she went with black hiking boots opposed to her heeled ankle-height boots. Her ribbon tied all her hair back in a ponytail, the exception being her hair braids, and her emblem, the bird-like symbol she had with her, was printed on the palms of her gloves.

Hifumi had gone all out, seeing this as a 'once-in-a-lifetime fantasy situation' and decked himself out in a set of video-game equipment. It was an honest-to-God video game set of armor from Final Fantasy that cosplayers would often wear, the Fighter from the very first game, and everyone is staring and silently laughing at the borderline-obese nerd-looking boy holding a massive warhammer. Junko found it hilarious.

Celeste wore an elegant Gothic Lolita-style black skirt with white trim, and a black blouse and white jacket, and knee-high stockings. She also had her white bonnet, but she had discarded her gold circular earrings for simpler gold studs...though they were made of actual 24-carat gold. Her gunmetal ring was still where it was, on her index finger. Her emblem, a golden circle encasing an open eye with a red iris, was on her left breast on her jacket.

Aoi had donned a simple white t-shirt with the caption "Power of Water", and denim jeans with blue and white sneakers. Sachiel's Palm were strapped into her hands, and her hair was tied into the odd curled ponytail that somehow managed to deny gravity. There was a sea-blue medallion with the kanji for 'Sea' hanging around her neck. Her emblem, the Japanese kanji for 'Water' inside a sun symbol, was on the back of her t-shirt. She kept asking Sakura why almost every boy they ran into would ogle her, but Sakura refused to answer, and would often scare the boys away.

Sakura wore a nearly-identical set of clothes as Asahina, but instead of the sea-blue medallion, she had a reddish-brown medallion with the kanji for 'Power', her shirt and jeans were noticeably ripped and missing sleeves, and she wore brown leather sandals instead of sneakers. Her emblem, the kanji for 'Strength' inside a full moon symbol, was displayed on the front of her shirt. Almost everyone who saw her trembled in fear, the exception being a few students and Class 78.

Hagakure wore a dark gray robe with red patterns, that obscured most of his body, and black loafers. He couldn't really wear any hats due to his hair, something he still wasn't over. Underneath the robe, he wore a gray two-piece suit with a crystal ball pin on his left breast pocket. His emblem, an evil eye symbol inside a crystal ball, was smack dab in the middle of his breast pockets, and he always carried his trusty crystal ball with him in a durable steel case on his back.

Last but not least, Chihiro had on his old outfit as well. He had switched to a dark verdant green for his uniform, and his hair had grew a bit longer, to the point where he tied it into a ponytail. On top of his outfit was a large dark green jacket, with binary code running down the sleeves. His emblem, a pixelated skull and bones symbol with the word 'ERROR' underneath, was on the left shoulder of his jacket.

With the addition of Sayaka and Mukuro, these fifteen walked behind Makoto like a gang and Makoto was the leader, giving off the aura of Makoto's bodyguards. It seemed awkward, how Makoto would be completely relaxed and smiling at everyone he passed, and he was pretty sure, behind him, Junko was riling everyone up subtly, despite them not knowing it. He could hear her voice behind him, somehow convincing the others to get focused, resulting in fifteen grim-faced superpowered teenagers looking like they were walking to their death.

Makoto was pretty sure Junko was using reverse psychology. It was just a hunch, though.

Hopefully...

...Fuck.

* * *

In a gap between dimensions, Komaru Naegi woke up...and sprang out of her bed, cheering "It's Initiation Day!" The cry rang out throughout the white borderline-mansion she was living in...and almost instantly, doors around the massive house burst open, as the inhabitants quickly rushed to the bathrooms, hell-bent on washing up and getting to the Brothers to watch the Initiation.

Of course, they may have built a few things to cheer Class 78 on.

"Where'd I put the foam finger?!"

"What do you mean you misplaced the bandanas?!"

"Daiya-san! I have the banners with me, where should I put them?"

"Mrrrrrreeeeeow!" "Someone feed the cat, it's getting cranky!"

It was...chaotic, to say the least.

The Brothers couldn't help but stare at the discord happening, until everyone finally finished and they all piled up on a large black-and-white plush couch capable of seating at least 50 people...after having set up multiple streamers, balloons, and banners saying "Go Go Class 78!" They also wore bandanas saying the same message, and all of them looked at the Brothers expectantly.

Even the cat.

Even the ghost of Mondo's dead brother, who had decded to join the group in watching the visions.

"...Brother, why do we tolerate them again?"

"Because killing or maiming them will anger the ones we want on our good side?"

"...Sometimes I hate you, brother. With all of my hatred."

With a simple wave of their hands, Earth was privy to yet another broadcast into the world of Remnant.

* * *

The base of Ultimate Despair was in chaos.

And it wasn't the regular kind of despair-inducing despair that would usually be going on. No, this time, it was a different, more fanatical, more sinister more of chaos that was occurring.

"Where's the life-sized picture of Junko-sama?"

"Did someone see my blood red headbands around? They're the ones with 'Despair' in black on the front!"

"I have the food ready! Where do I put the bruschetta?"

"Where's my camera? Where's my camera?!"

Yes, just like in the Gap, the Ultimate Despairs were also preparing to watch the Initiation of Class 78, if only to sneer at Naegi and cheer for Junko. Everyone was frantically running around,setting up a suitable place to watch. They had also upgraded the broken TV to a borderline movie screen, using the sheer size so everyone could watch without shoving for a good view. So far, there was a veritable feast before them, a decadent five-course meal they could eat while watching, 3 plush sofas lining the screen, beverages and snacks off to a small table on the side, and they were all wearing clothing and accessories proclaiming 'Despair!' and 'Go Junko-sama!'.

It was the most terrifying fanclub meeting in all of existence.

"Alright, so we have everything in order," Fuyuhiko rattled off, anxiously waiting for the TV to turn itself on, "Unless we have any last-minute additions to what we have—TSUMIKI, FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, WE CANNOT ALLOW YOUR BODY PILLOW HERE! EVEN IF JUNKO-SAMA'S ON IT!"

"Ah, come on, Fuyuhiko!" Souda snickered, "Just this once, you know? After all, Junko-sama's making her big debut on Remnant!" Fuyuhiko growled, bur relented.

"Fine. Fine, just this once." Fuyuhiko waved his hand at Mikan, who was happily squeeing to herself while hugging a body pillow of Junko Enoshima's barely-clothed self.

Even the other Despairs found her obsession and devotion a bit too...excessive.

"Alright, then! Everyone get what you want, and sit down, show's starting soon!" Fuyuhiko paused, then turned to Akane, "Akane, you go last."

"Wha- _Why?!_ "

"Because every time you go first, you take 90% of the food, so shut the fuck up and go wait!"

* * *

At the same time, on a small island far away from the mainland, the Future Foundation were...getting popcorn and refreshments.

"Remind me why we're doing this again, sir?" Kyosuke Munakata grumbled out as he, Juzo and Chisa walked alongside Kazuo to grab refreshments for the Initiation.

"Munakata, we cannot help Class 78 in any way. We can only watch and cheer them on from here," Kazuo replied, "Of course, that does not mean we cannot enjoy it as well. It's akin to...watching a movie, I suppose."

"I wanna help them as much as you do, Kyosuke, but Tengan-san's right," Juzo said, carrying three boxes of snacks and popcorn, "We can't really help them unless we somehow manage to travel across dimensions. Besides, I kinda want to see what's going to happen." At that, he cracked a bloodthirsty grin, imagining the different types of Grimm that could appear.

"That, plus, everyone has duties to fulfill here. Ando-chan has to maintain the PR, Izayoi-san is helping with weapon-smithing, Seiko-chan is making new medicines for the people who need it... I think the 'visions' are the only time they really get a break! And none of them are skilled enough to survive Remnant..." Chisa added.

"..." Kyosuke stayed silent, conflicted. Eventually, he just sighed and nodded, "Do you think the base still has coffee?"

"Kyosuke, you know we're always stocked up on coffee~" Chisa sang out, giggling. Kyosuke couldn't help but crack a small grin at her reply.

"Alright, then. For now, we'll sit back and watch—Wait, did we grab the drinks from the storage?"

"...Shit." Juzo mumbled.

* * *

On Towa Island, the situation was more contained.

"OK, who has the candy?"

"I have the soda! Extra sugar in it, too!"

"I have the clothes! They all look super adorbs this time!"

"Monaca has the popcorn!"

"I have all the information we wrote about Remnant with me."

That didn't mean it was any less chaotic.

"Aaaaaawwww, Nagisa! Why do you have to ruin everyone with the papers?"

"Masaru, please stop. If we gather enough information, we can find a way to help Big Sis Junko."

"Monaca wants to help Big Sis Junko! Keep up the good work, Nagisa, you cutie-pie!"

"E-Erk! Monaca!" A massive blush from the speaker.

"...But seriously, who has the candy?"

"...I...I got it..."

"Thanks, Jataro!"

The Warriors of Hope, now 'liberators' of Towa Island, and psuedo-recluses, piled together to watch the Initiation.

Their parents' bodies, stuffed in a clogged garbage disposal chute, continued to rot. Not that anyone would ever notice.

* * *

"Welcome, everyone, to your Initiation into Beacon." Ozpin said, looking at the group of students lined up on the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest, "For years, you have trained, endured, and powered through hurdles the normal person cannot conquer, to become the warriors need to protect the Kingdoms. And today, your abilities, and the culmination of your training, will be tested here in the Emerald Forest.

"Now, I'm sure you have heard from rumors about the assignment of 'teams' and what they entail so allow me to end your confusion about such. You will be assigned teammates...today, in the Emerald Forest." He ignored the mumbles coming from some of the students, "These teammates, whoever they shall be, will be with you through thick and thin for the rest of your time here at Beacon. As such, you should aim to be paired with someone you know you will work well with.

"With that being said, try to choose wisely, because the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years here." There was a scream of anguish, which Ozpin was sure belonged to Miss Rose, if he remembered correctly. "After you have partnered up with someone, head for the northern end of the forest, where you will find several relics. Each pair must bring one relic back to us, on top of the cliff, to pass. Upon bring us the relic, we will grade you appropriately.

"And one last thing. You must give it 100 percent of your effort, or you. Will. Die." Ozpin finished, "Now. Are there any questions?" Jaune Arc raised his hand.

"Uh, sir? I...have a question." Ozpin ignored him, watching Weiss Schnee get launched into the forest, "Sit, uh, this landing strategy thing, what do you mean? You're d-dropping us off, right?"

"No," Ozpin replied, "You will be falling." 'Don't smile, don't smile, don't smile, for the love of the Brothers, don't smile.'

"Oh, I, uh, I see. So, you're giving us parachutes to use, r-right?"

"You will be using your own 'landing strategy' instead." More students were launched, some screaming, some whooping, and Ozpin resisted the urge to break into a large grin right there and then.

"Oh...I, uh, I see. So, what do you mean by a landing StraaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Jaune was cut off upon being launched 50 kilometers per second into the air, hurtling towards the Emerald Forest.

"...Glynda."

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"They've all been launched, correct?"

"Yes Headmaster."

"Good." And with that, Ozpin took a slow, long sip of his coffee, and swallowed, sighing contentedly...before he burst into laughter, holding his sides.

Yes, sometimes, it was good to be the Headmaster.

* * *

 **A/N: So.**

 **I'm doing the Initiation next chapter.**

 ***gets swarmed by angry readers* WAIT NO LET ME EXPLAIN**

 **The thing is, I haven't planned out the Initiation yet. There are new Grimm I'm planning on introducing to the story, one of the moments I will use being the Initiation. Problem is, I haven't decided _what_ I'll introduce. I legit have a list of 25 different Grimm types _and counting_. I need some time to plan all this out first.**

 **Secondly, I have college applications and research coming up soon (I'm not ready please help me), so when I apply for, and head for college...well...that just means less time for me to write this.**

 **Lastly, I'm trying to adjust all the minor details for the color names. I also need to plan out how the story progresses, and the changes and divergences from canon. As well as the ships. The ships take priority.**

 **Not-so-little hint: Kin x Junko is basically the only ship that will definitely be in the story.**

 **They gonna do the diddly _huehuehuehuehue_.**

 **Now, bear in mind that this is _not_ a self-insert story. Just in case anyone is wondering or planning to ask. So no, I am not Kin in any way, nor am I using Kin to fulfill fantasies of my own, unlike 95% of other SI story writers. And Kin's backup weapon is...**

 **Going to be revealed in a fight in Initiation. What, you really thought I was going to spoil the surprise? Hah! Get baited, suckers!**

 **With all that out of the way, the poll for who Makoto will hook up with in now open! Vote for what ship you want to see in the story, and vote now! And like I said, if you have an reasonable side ships you want to see with KinXJunko and MakotoX?, send them in now! This extends to RWBY characters as well. But seriously, reasonable ships only. I'm not going to do something like HifumiXChihiro or, God forbid, MercuryXZwei. And yes, I have seen people actually suggest that on other stories.**

 **It still haunts me to this day...**

 **Also, I am now taking suggestions for Ship names! Because I'm a lazy fucktard who can't think of any! Hahahahahahahahah(slowly devolves into loud sobbing)**

 **Last but not least, I need a beta reader. Because I don't want to find mistakes in my writing. If you're interested, PM me soon!**

 **With all that, out of the way, this is Gold Magikarp signing out! Peace!**

 **PS, no V3 characters. Bye!**


	6. Chapter 5: Fear is the Enemy (Part 1)

**Before we begin, I've decided to start a side ship poll. Send in any side ships you want to see, and if two of them interfere with each other (an example being Lancaster VS Dragonslayer), then I'll use that poll to see which one will be in the story. Otherwise, if it works, your side ship will end up in the story as well.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Fear is the Enemy, Part 1**

* * *

" _It's OK to be a little broken. Everyone's broken in this life."_

 _-Jon Bon Jovi_

* * *

The first thing Makoto did after being flung into the air by a springboard was scream like a little girl for five seconds.

The second thing he did was unstrap his shield and hold it under his feet horizontally.

Bracing his feet on the leather strap, he had just enough to make minute adjustments to the angle, before bouncing off a treetop and essentially shield-surfing along the tree canopies, whooping as he did so. Looking up, he saw the others cheering and laughing...or in Chihiro's case, screaming and flailing around for a bit, before he righted himself. They disappeared under the treetops soon after, and below, he could hear Mondo riding Acheron. Because of his weapon being a motorcycle, apparently, Mondo was given a free pass and allowed to ride down the cliff into the forest, via a route that didn't lead him to the relics.

As he pulled a perfect midair 360 turn, hopping from one treetop to the other, he noticed that he was beginning to slow down, and jumped off the shield, quickly taking it with him before he scaled down the tree he had been on, swinging from branch to branch like a monkey.

Say what you wanted about Makoto Naegi, but he apparently had a knack for parkour, though not enough to be an Ultimate.

Who knew?

As he landed on his feet at the bottom of the trees, he rolled his shoulders, loosening his muscles, before there was a rustle from a nearby bush. Quickly, he prepared to draw his sword, cautiously watching the shaking bush.

Out burst Junko Enoshima, eyes wide and sparkling...before they landed on Makoto Naegi, and the sparkles died a slow and painful death.

Then his brain clicked, and he realized that he had made eye contact with Junko Enoshima.

Oh shit.

He had _made eye contact with Junko Enoshima._

 _He had made eye contact with Junko Enoshima, and they would be working together for the next 4 years._

Looking at Junko, he saw that she had reached the same conclusion.

In a rare moment of unison, the two screamed their thoughts out at the same time.

* * *

" **FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!** "

Sayaka looked up at the sound echoing throughout the forest. Odd. For a second there, she thought she heard Makoto and Junko screaming in anger.

Shaking her head, she walked along a beaten dirt road, looking for any signs that would lead her to the relics. There was a thump, and a crash nearby, and she turned in surprise. A few seconds later, and there were howls of rage, before a brief series of _shinkks_ and the sight of Grimm dust floating into the air. Sayaka tensed, realizing that the footsteps were headed her way.

'Pleasedon'tbeLeonPleasedon'tbeLeonfortheloveofallthatisholydon'tbeLeon' She frantically thought.

Mukuro Ikasuba stepped out of the bushes and looked her in the eyes. They froze.

'…...On second thought, I'll take Leon.'

* * *

Mondo missed his gang.

He missed riding alongside them down the streets of Tokyo. He missed joking with them, having wild parties at abandoned warehouses, and leading them into turf wars to gain control of the streets of Japan.

He missed the Crazy Diamonds. He paid homage to them as the... _former_ leader with his uniform and emblem, now that he couldn't lead them like he used to.

Riding Acheron brought a certain familiar thrill to his heart, one caused by adrenaline and high speeds and the absolutely delicious feeling of _freedom_. But now, without anyone to ride with, it just felt...off.

His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of feet landing on dirt over the sound of the motorcycle engine, and he stopped Acheron, unsheathing a knife from one of the holsters, and walking towards the source of the sound. Reaching over, he pushed aside some undergrowth and looked.

The hazel-colored eyes of Chihiro Fujisaki looked back in surprise.

They froze, both feeling their heartbeat spike.

"...I'll go find someone else..." Mondo mumbled, turning away with a guilty look in his eyes. As he headed back to Acheron, he felt a subtle tug on his sleeve.

"I-I...I forgive you..." He heard Chihiro say under his breath.

It took Mondo all his willpower not to break down sobbing, as Chihiro hugged him from behind, pressing his face against his back.

"T-Then let's go look for the relics...partner." They both ignored the way Mondo's voice cracked just the slightest at the last word.

And for a single second, as he and Chihiro rode down the beaten dirt road on Acheron to look for relics, everything felt right.

* * *

Ishimaru flew across the air, a wide grin on his face as he jumped from tree branch to tree branch like a ninja, eventually slowing down and stopping before climbing down the tree. For once, he could see the psychological merit some people found in adrenaline. The rush he had felt was damn near intoxicating.

Checking to see if Innocence and Guilt were loaded, he cocked the gloves, and went on his way. After all, the headmaster did say to find them as soon as possible, and he was still a prefect, among other things. He still had duties to perform, and rules to enforce.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar shriek of terror, before Hagakure burst out of the bushes, a pack of Beowolves hot on his trail. Hagakure would alternate between running and blasting shotgun shells at the Beowolves, while Ishimaru just stared in shock.

"Ishimaru, a little help here!" Hagakure yelled as he tried to lose the Beowolves. Some of the pack turned and saw Ishimaru, who immediately readied Innocence and Guilt, blasting away Grimm, and socking the ones that got too close.

"Hagakure, I must know what you did to cause this!" Ishimaru yelled over the sound of gunfire and howling.

"I didn't! I just walked past a couple of trees, and they were all grouped up there!" Hagakure replied, before he turned and kicked a Beowulf so hard in the face that it's head imploded.

"And you led them here?!"

"What?! NO! I was trying to lose them, dammit!"

"So let me get this straight! You ran into a pack of Beowulves, ran away, and somehow managed to antagonize them enough to keep chasing you! Not only that, but you've been taking potshots at them, and angered them even more!"

"Can we please just concentrate on killing the Grimm?!"

Ishimaru wondered if he had managed to offend one of the Brothers. It really felt like he did.

* * *

Hifumi cackled madly as he flew through a few trees like a cannonball. Swinging Wishmaker, he plowed through anything in his way, before descending and crashing to the ground like a meteor.

On Earth, Daisaku Bandai nearly had an aneurysm.

Popping up, looking perfectly, Hifumi looked around for Grimm, before slowly climbing out of the small crater he had inadvertently created. Dirt poured into the crater as he stepped out, stretching and cracking his neck. He hadn't been paying attention while he was in the air, so he honestly didn't know where he was in the forest.

A gunshot rang out throughout the forest, and Hifumi turned. Soon after, the roars of a bear could be heard, and more gunshots rang out. Then there was loud cursing, and a familiar figure dragged herself out of the bushes.

Even with her dress torn, and her hair extensions gone, Hifumi instantly knew who it was.

"...Miss Ludenberg?"

Celeste Ludenberg's face momentarily twisted into a guilty frown for a split second, before she regained her apathetic face often seen in her poker games.

"Hifumi. I trust we can work together adequately as partners." She said in a clipped tone, her movements borderline mechanical as she nodded, before turning away and heading back the way she came. Hifumi started to say something, but hesitated. Clearly, Celeste was still emotional over her actions, and now wasn't really the best time to do psychotherapy.

Sighing, Hifumi hefted Wishmaker over his shoulder, and followed Celeste.

Neither of them noticed a slight rustle behind them. Not that it would matter for now.

* * *

Kyoko Kirigiri was poised and calm, an image of cold apathy and uncaring logic.

Kyoko Kirigiri was also sweating out of her palms, and hurtling through the air at a speed of 50 kilometers per second, trying to suppress the urge to whoop in excitement.

As she sailed along the verdant treetops of the forest, she whipped out S1 and began swinging around, hitting a tree so hard S1 embedded itself into the trunk and completely stopped her momentum.

Which should have been impossible, but hey, physics could kiss her ass at this point.

Yanking S1 out of the tree trunk and hopping down from branch to branch, she heard growling around the tree, and looked down.

There was a pack of Beowulves surrounding the tree. Every Beowulf was also currently glaring up at her and snarling. A more muscular Beowulf, with numerous bone spikes and plates howled at her, and the Beowulves tried to scale the tree to get to her. Kyoko made a note of the one who howled being the Alpha.

Shifting S1 into it's handgun mode, she quickly shot some of the Beowulves in the eyes, the bullet piercing their brains and killing them. Of course, she was dealing with a whole pack alone, and a girl with a single handgun would do little to even dent the amount of Grimm in the pack. For every Beowulf she killed, three seemed to appear. Furthermore, they were rapidly climbing the she was on, getting closer and closer by the second. For a split second, Kyoko was genuinely fearful for her life.

And then a grenade smacked the Alpha in the face and blew it to kingdom come. Not even a torso was left behind.

Kyoko paused.

The Beowulves paused.

The Alpha's remains, which were basically it's legs alone, slumped over, before dissipating into black motes of dust. Kyoko ignored it.

A disgruntled Leon Kuwata pushed his way out of an increasingly stubborn bush, hefting Grand Slam over his shoulder like he was walking to home base. In a snap, a baseball-shaped grenade flung itself into the air, and he smashed it into a Beowulf at the base of the tree.

The resulting explosion blew up a dozen Beowulves, set another two dozen on fire, and blinded Kyoko for five seconds. As she blinked the spots out of her eyes, she could vaguely make out the shape of Leon absolutely clobbering the Beowulves, and she heard some of the Beowulves resume their climb.

Damn it, she wanted to conserve ammunition, and the handgun wouldn't be enough to kill them.

Then she got an idea. A really stupid idea. An idea that the logical part of her brain instantly was a completely insane, borderline-suicidal idea that she should never do.

She did it anyways.

Leaping off the tree branch, she made a vertical descent, smacking any Beowulf in her way in the face. Just before she was about to become the world's first human tree, she flipped herself and prepared to land on her feet.

Coincidentally, a Beowulf ran underneath her just as she pushed her legs out forcefully. The result was an event so painful for the Grimm that a fellow Beowulf gave it a mercy kill. It was borderline animal abuse in the fact that the only reason it wasn't was because the Grimm did not qualify as actual animals.

As the Beowulf's anguished cries were viciously stopped, Kyoko gazed at Leon, who looked back with a pale face.

"I do hope you behave yourself in the future, if we're partnering up," She drawled, and Leon nodded frantically, tensing and looking like he wanted to run away.

"Y-Y-Yeah! Right! Partners! I'll behave!...Please don't hurt me." Leon replied. Kyoko just raised an eyebrow, but turned away, brandishing S1 at the remaining Beowulves.

"Well, first things first. We eliminate these Beowulves, then we discuss the partnership terms.

"Y-Yeah, yeah...Stupid bushes..."

* * *

Sakura Ogami was many things.

She was strong. Being the most powerful woman on Earth hasn't changed, and she had grown stronger during her time on Remnant.

She was brave. She would take on Monokuma, Junko, and any other threat, no matter how big or small, to protect her friends. It was practically written into her soul.

She was smart. Being the strongest in the world didn't come from merely powering through everyone and everything. One had to learn weaknesses, strengths, and use every advantage they had in a fight.

Yes, Sakura Ogami was many things.

She was _not_ , however, prepared for being launched towards a forest at 50 kilometers per second.

Her mind went blank for a few seconds as she hurtled towards the treetops, before suddenly filling itself with plans upon plans of strategies to safely land using Richter Palm. As she neared the canopies, she pointed Richter Palm downwards and fired a pulse, the kinetic energy shooting her up a bit, before she repeated the process over and over, slowing down drastically until she was able to simply step onto a tree branch and climb her way down.

Sighing, she took a moment to take deep breathes and appreciate the beauty of the forest around her.

Without even looking behind her, she punched a Creep that was trying to sneak up on her. The Grimm didn't even get to howl in agony as it dissipated into black dust. Noticing the dust of their comrade, the Creep horde slowly began to burrow their way out from the ground and try to surround her. Shifting Richter Palm into combat mode, Sakura readied herself to fight.

And then a beam made of high-pressurized water blasted through an emerging Creep, and Aoi Asahina _leaped_ through the horde and shifted into a fighting position besides Sakura. She looked Sakura in the eyes.

"Hey, partner~" Aoi sang out, and Sakura couldn't help but grin.

"Hello, partner." Sakura replied, before a brave Creep snarled at them, reminding them of the current situation.

They both punched the Creep so hard it exploded without looking.

"So, after this, wanna regroup with the others?"

"Yes. I would love to."

And then the two leapt at the Creep horde, smiles on their faces.

* * *

"I can't believe I got stuck with you!" Junko yelled, angrily stomping through the shrubbery and cursing to herself, "If all the people who I could have been partnered up with, it was _you!_ You hopelessly optimistic son of a bitch!"

"Stop acting like I'm happy about it, Enoshima! I'd rather be partnered up literally anyone other than you right now!" Makoto yelled back from behind her, "You think I'd want to be your partner after what you did?!"

"Hah! It looks like the naive little boy can speak for himself after all! Did you drag your head out of your ass long enough to see what the world was like?"

"Shut the hell up, you despair-obsessed megalomaniac!"

"Oooooh, big words from a naive baby!" Junko whipped out her fake crown, "Does the peasant require big boy pants now?"

Before the two could continue throwing insults at each other, a shimmering golden shape appeared over their heads, and they looked up in shock.

"What the-?!"

" _Kin?!_ " Junko's exclamation was far more surprised, and she quickly ran in the direction of the shape.

"W-Wait up!" Makoto called running after her.

AS they (barely) followed the shape, making sure not to lose track of it, Makoto saw Junko's face seem to grow brighter in joy as she ran after the shape. Weird. She had heard that Junko displayed a lot of emotion around Kin, but this was his first time seeing it. It felt a bit strange. The shape seemed to dip into the treetops, and Junko ran faster.

"Hurry up, Hope Boy!" She called out, and Makoto picked up the pace, not wanting to lose sight of Junko. Brothers knew what kind of chaos she could cause even out here...

As the finally caught up to the shape of Kin in the air, Makoto saw that there was a nearby Beowulf pack that had noticed the sound of them running. He opened his mouth to shout a warning to Junko, for some reason not even he could fathom.

And a black sneaker with gold outlines smashed itself into the Beowulf closest to Junko, causing the Beowulf to fall onto it's back before the Beowulf was forced forward from the momentum. With the momentum grinding the Beowulf's head into the ground and forcing it's body forwards, it acted like, impossibly, a skateboard, as the figure on the Beowulf drew something short (a knife?) from their pocket and moved almost impossibly fast, quickly slitting the rest of the Beowulves' throats as they passed by. When the Beowulf under their feet began to dissipate, they jumped onto another Beowulf, repeating the process until they had fully stopped. By then, all but two Beowulves were left.

Two Beowulves out of twenty-five.

The two Beowulves hesitated, growling. Their animal instincts screamed at them to run, but they stood their ground, then lunged at the figure, who just stabbed one in the eye and jerked left as it past, before grabbing the second's claw and redirecting it into the Beowulf's own throat. The two faded away as the figure flicked away the last of the Grimm ichor from their blade, and only then was Makoto able to see what the figure looked like, as they had been moving a bit too fast for his eyes to focus.

Black sneakers with gold outlines, and painted koi on the sides. A white short-sleeved v-neck that exposed just the tiniest bit of collarbone, and denim jeans that fell just the slightest. A bob cut of golden hair, curling just below the ears, on top of a heart-shaped face, with fat in all the right places. Slender fingers were curled around the leather-bound hilt of a makeshift knife, and molten-gold eyes closed as the figure panted in exhaustion, stretching their legs and arms and loosening themselves up.

"Kin! Over here!" Junko called out, waving her hand. The figure perked up, and looked Junko in the eyes.

"Junko! Yay, we're partners!" Kin Sakana cried, making to run over to Junko...and stumbling and falling onto his stomach, groaning, "I think I strained my legs a tiny bit too much..."

Junko giggled, _giggled_ , and went to help Kin, "You shouldn't have shown off before, Golden _Princess_ ," She teased, laughing Kin's squawks of protest, "Now come on, we should go."

Makoto just stared with a blank face as Kin and Junko walked towards him. His brain sputtered and choked on it's own thoughts as he tried to process what was happening before him.

"Huh? Junko, who is that?" Kin asked, pointing at Makoto, he snapped out of his stupor just in time to notice Junko pout a bit.

"That's nobody you need to-"

"Junko..." Kin whined, giving her a puppy-eyes look, and Junko flinched.

"I-I...Fine. That's Makoto Naegi. I might have made eye contact with him before, and we...might have to be partners." Kin wilted at her words, and grumbled.

"W-Well, I didn't hear anything about not having two partners in the rules, and you made eye contact with Junko, so..." Makoto offered, mouthing 'You owe me for this' to Junko when Kin brightened up almost instantly.

She just flipped him out covertly, before smiling and hugging Kin, the two cheering in joy.

Makoto desperately tried to ignore the sight of a joyful Junko.

* * *

The Future Foundation meeting room was silent, it's occupants in shock from both the newcomer's combat prowess, and how Junko expressed an emotion normally around them.

"...What the fuck." Juzo murmured.

* * *

"LET ME GO, SONIA! LET ME GO!" Tsumiki shrieked, having leaped out of her Junko Enoshima-patented blanket to lunge and claw at the television, while the rest of Ultimate Despair, Kamakura excluded, tried to hold her back, still half in shock from the sight, "THAT FUCKING WHORE! SHE'S LURING MY BELOVED AWAY FROM ME! SHE'S STEALING JUNKO-SAMA! I HAVE TO KILL HER! _KIIIIIIIIIIIILL_!"

"Tsumiki! Tsumiki, calm down! It's only the TV, you won't actually be able to do anything, Mikan!" Fuyuhiko gritted out

"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME VENT MY ANGER, **BABYFACE**!"

"B- _BABYFACE?!_ "

Souda sighed to himself as he heard Hiyoko taunt Mikan even more, with the sight of 'Kin'. Sometimes he wondered if this was worth the glorious despair he kept gaining.

* * *

The Warriors of Hope stared at the screen, their eyes wide.

"...Big Sis Junko's acting like a kid again." Masaru said.

"...Well, at least we know she's not turning into a demon anytime soon, right?" Nagisa asked.

"Eh. She's fine. She's Big Sis Junko, after all!" Kotoko exclaimed, "But, can we change the topic to that super-adorbs girl that's with Big Sis Junko right now?!"

"...I wish I was that pretty..." Jataro murmured.

"Yeah, that girl looks super cute! I wonder how she keeps her looks?" Masaru wondered out loud.

Monaca stayed silent, and a dark look flickered on her face.

"...Monaca?" Masaru asked, and she perked up, "Are you OK?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah! It's just nice to see Big Sis Junko making friends!" No it wasn't, she told herself. She wanted to be the one good thing in Big Sis Junko's life besides despair. Heck, before Big Sis Junko's death, that _was_ what she was, as the successor. And now this girl, this _hussy_ , was stealing her Big Sis Junko from Monaca, even if it was in another world. Damn this useless girl, coming out of nowhere and wooing her Big Sis away.

As the rest of the Warriors of Hope watched the vision with rapt excitement, Monaca's face grew darker and more twisted as she grew angrier and angrier.

Almost none of the others noticed.

Almost.

* * *

"So, which way is north?" Kin asked, as the trio walked along the forest, "I kinda wanna explore the forest a bit, but I think the Headmaster is watching us..." Kin looked around, a cautious look in his eyes.

"Hm? Oh, he actually is. He has cameras installed in fake trees all over the forest," Junko replied, casually checking her nails, before noticing Kin's panicked gulp, "Don't worry. I doubt he'll do anything to stop us unless it gets super serious. He'll probably let us explore when we can and stuff, no punishments."

"Yes~" Kin immediately brightened and pumped his fists, grinning, "I bet there's a bunch of cool places to check out around her, like a cave filled with gems, or a hidden treetop society, or..." He kept throwing more andmore fantastical ideas, his eyes gleaming with the promise of exploration, and Junko couldn't help but snicker at Kin's rambling, prompting Makoto to glance at her oddly.

"What? You gotta admit, his ideas are kinda funny." She said. Makoto couldn't really deny it, so he conceded her statement.

"...Or, or maybe there's a—who the hell is arguing?" Kin cut off, and Makoto and Junko both heard something like voices arguing. The voices seemed to be heading their way, and they sounded familiar, Makoto thought to himself.

"We should have turned left back there!"

"If we turned left, we would be going deeper into the forest! I have more experience in this stuff than you, so stop trying to correct me!"

"Oh, really? We've been lost for half an hour now, and we haven't run into anybody ever since I decided to listen to you!"

"When you're in my field of expertise, you tend to learn this stuff! Besides, what did you do, prance in frilly skirts and belt out pop lyrics all day? What's that got to do with survival?" Makoto raised an eyebrow, and he pulled a couple of shrubs aside.

Sayaka Maizono and Mukuro Ikasuba, still bickering and looking at each other, promptly walked into Makoto and fell backwards, with small 'oof's.

"What the-Makoto!" They said in unison, practically leaping to their feet and hugging him, while glaring at each other behind his back.

Behind the three, Kin mouthed to Junko, 'They've got it _baaaaaaaaad_."

"M-Makoto! Hi! Hey! Hey!" Sayaka blabbered, while Mukuro just stammered and cleared her throat, trying to come up with a good reason for what she was doing.

"I...what were you two talking about?" Makoto asked.

"Oh! Mukuro here insisted we turn left at an intersection in the forest, when I said we should turn right! I listened to her, and we've been wandering around for the last half hour, because she got us lost!~" Sayaka answered, finishing with a bubbly tone, as if trying to convince Makoto she was right.

"My fault?! You got a Beowulf a pack chasing us after you stepped on a few dozen sticks!"

"What? I wasn't the one who decided to shoot at a Beowulf pack and piss and them off, you were!"

"Why you-"

"G-Girls! GIRLS!"

Junko mouthed back, 'They've got it REAL bad.'

"A-Anyways, why don't we go look for relics together?" Makoto hastily said, in an attempt to defuse the volatile situation, "We'd like you two with us, if you're OK with it!"

"Yes, please!" The two girls chirped in unison, nodding enthusiastically.

Junko snickered at the potential blackmail material she was getting. Maybe this could work for instigating fights, too.

"So, I guess we wander around for a bit? The path's pretty long, and maybe we can find a shortcut or something," Kin suggested, and the five of them all nodded. They wanted to finish this initiation as soon as possible.

They walked around the forest for a bit, eventually settling in walking along the edge of a massive rock formation near the center of the forest. It helped that it would lead them towards the North if they face the right direction. As they walked along the stone wall-like formation, Junko noticed drawings begin to show up along the wall.

"Hey, check it out," Junko murmured, pointing to the drawings. Various Grimm were depicted in the drawings, from Beowulves, to Ursa Majors, to enormous Deathstalkers, and Nevermores flying around the wall. The drawings showed shadowy silhouettes of humans holding a red crystal over their heads, and pushing the Grimm back.

"What the hell..." Kin muttered, staring at the cave murals as they walked, "This stuff must be centuries of years old..." He thumbed the rock, hitting a small niche with his nail, that cracked... _something_. It seemed to be some sort of hidden dry clay, and the clay flaked off the wall, cracking and unveiling a mural of a massive Grimm-like being, people dead or mindlessly walking around it. It seemed like a massive four-legged mushroom-like construct, with a simple wheel-shaped structure supporting the body and allowing for movement. Distorted eyes were painted all along the body, and head-sized spores seemed to pour from the gills of the construct. The entirety of the 'stem', if it could even be called that, had a macabre depiction of countless beings, humans, animals, anything that 'was alive', assimilated into the column and covered in spores. The very bottom of the stem had what seemed to be fibers attached to humans by their necks, making it look like they were hanging, and at the very top of the 'mushroom cap' was a humongous flower bud, surrounded by four smaller buds. It was a hideous, twisted depiction, and those who had hidden it must have been terrified of the thing.

"What is that thing...?" Mukuro breathed out, her face set in a horrified expression. Good lord, not many things scared her, but the painting was so realistic it was frightening. Before they could say anything, there was a mighty crash, and a girly shriek, and the five turned to see a red-haired girl running from a gigantic Deathstalker while a blonde boy hung from the stinger.

"Help! Whoa-ah-ah-ah-ah! Why?! Pyrrha! He-e-e-elp! Pyrrha, this is not the relic! It's not! Do something!" The boy yelled, as 'Pyrrha' ran from the rampaging Grimm.

"J-Jaune?!" Makoto stuttered, watching the scene.

"Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let-" The Deathstalker flung the boy away, as Pyrrha stared in shock, "...go." She turned to the Deathstalker, who glared at her balefully, "...Oh shit."

The Deathstalker shrieked angrily.

Pyrrha turned tail and ran, the Deathstalker running after her.

Makoto stared at the empty clearing in front of him, trying to process what had just happened. Sayaka and Mukuro stayed where they were, blank-faced. Junko and Kin...they were running. Towards the cave. With excited grins on their face.

"Hurry up, slowpokes! We have an awesome cave to explore!" Kin yelled, while Junko licked her lips.

"The number of Grimm that could be inside...Oh, it makes me shiver~" She crooned, as the two zipped into the cave.

"W-Wait! Shouldn't we go help those two?!" Makoto called back.

"They can handle themselves, they got accepted for a reason!" Kin's voice echoed from inside.

And then the two were gone, their footsteps having disappeared into the cave.

"...Should we...go after them?" Sayaka hesitantly asked.

"...I, uh...yeah, let's go."

* * *

The cave was pitch-black, light only shining through the cave entrance, as the three walked down the passage. Mukuro was hard at work making a torch from a snapped tree branch, and some Fire Dust, while Makoto and Sayaka were 'scouting' the area by feeling along the walls for obstacles. They had lost sight of Kin and Junko soon after, a bobbing torch light that quickly disappeared from their sight as they entered the cave.

"So, you really think there's anything worthwhile in the cave?" Sayaka asked, yelping as she poked a sharp stone. In all honesty, this Initiation was going far worse than she thought it would. She got partnered up with her rival in love, stuck on a team that would almost certainly have Junko in it, and now here she was, scouring a pitch-black cave for two troublemakers, one of which caused the fucking apocalypse from where she came from.

Yeah. She had some protests to make.

"Well...Not really, I guess. It's a cave in the middle of a forest. Unless you're a massive Grimm with a hoard of treasure or some crazy bandit, there's nothing you'll really find out here." Makoto replied, "But we do still need to look to Junko and Kin...Lord knows what the two can do together..." Sayaka made to continue, but was interrupted by a sudden light coming from behind her.

"Got it!" Mukuro's voice piped up, and she walked on past them, "We should be able to see everything now. Come on, let's go find Junko and Kin."

As they walked down the passage, they saw more and more paintings, some depicting skulls, while others depicted dead humans, and Grimm standing over them. The passage got notable more and more jagged as they walked. It must have been because of the giant Deathstalker from before, they reasoned.

"The paintings...They like like they're from before mankind found Dust..." Makoto murmured, staring at the drawings as they and Mukuro could only nod in awe, as the torch gave the paintings an ominous look. Eventually, they reached a small alcove where the broken stone just stopped, revealing a large smooth dome of stone. Kin and Junko were nowhere in sight. "Where the hell are they...?"

His answer came in panicked footsteps coming from a small passage at the very back of the dome, an ethereal glow coming from within, where Junko and Kin popped up, carrying a figure in a white cloak and constantly looking back.

"RUUUUUUUN!" Kin howled, "RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIVES, RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

 _10 minutes earlier..._

* * *

"So you see anything in here?" Kin asked, as he waved the torch a bit, trying to see the more far-off parts of the dome. The two had arrived at the stone dome a few minutes ago, and were currently exploring it. Apart from a few Fire Dust Crystals Kin had immediately taken and handed some to Junko, and a few scraps of armor, there wasn't much.

"...There's something here." Junko replied, feeling a part of the rock wall in front of her.

"Hm? Really?"

"Yeah. See this part of the wall here? It feels different from the rest of the dome. It's rougher, and a bit grittier than the rest of the stone here."

"Hmmm...Wow, you're right. It's flaking off, too. I think whatever this is is dried and brittle as hell...Wanna break it?" Junko grinned, and held up Gray Zone.

"Only if you join in with me~" She replied. Drawing his knife, Kin grinned, and the two punched the brittle material with their weapons. The stuff cracked, like a stronger version of plaster, and they punched it again, breaking through, and the rest of the material broke into large flakes and fell onto the ground The hole revealed a small passage leading into the formation, with Dust Crystals glowing dimly enough to provide light lining the walls.

"Oh holy shit." Junko said, before she could stop herself. But who wouldn't say it with this sight before them? The Dust Crystals were beautiful, sparkling into what should have been a pitch-black tunnel. The glow from the Dust created an ethereal white light, like light underneath water.

"Whoa..." Kin gasped, "This is awesome...I'm gonna go see what's at the end of this tunnel, wanna come with me?" His expression turned to childish excitement as he looked at the dark passage, "Honestly, it's kinda like something's...calling me to the end of this tunnel..." His eyes went a bit dull, and he began to walk down the tunnel itself, being called by whatever was at the end.

"K-Kin. Kin, wait up! Where are you going?!" Junko yelled, running after him. Kin seemed to ignore her, walking down the tunnel, as his eyes searched constantly for something. She didn't know what, but there seemed to be a hint of the normal Kin, seeing as he kept motioning at Junko, beckoning her to follow him.

At the end of the tunnel was a large cavern, filled with jagged stone. In the middle of the cavern was an extremely deep chasm, that didn't seem like it belonged in the cave. The Dust lined the cavern where the chasm was from the floor to the ceiling, fully illuminating the sight before them.

Corpses.

Corpses piled upon corpses..

There were corpses stacked on top of decaying skeletons, rotting in the corners of the the cavern, _fused to the very walls themselves_ , and more. Corpses that that should blocked off the light of the Dust, if it weren't for the fact that some of them had holes going through them. Corpses upon corpses upon corpses. But there was one thing all the corpses shared. They all had black mushrooms growing on them, whether it was on their hands or face, etc, they all had mushrooms on their body.

And all the while, Kin walked aimlessly towards the chasm, his eyes beginning to clear up, as he regained his mind.

"Wh...what the actual fuck...?" He breathed out, "What the actual fuck is this place...?" His face turned green, and he began to gag at the sight, and the _smell_ , the sickly sweet smell of rot and decay, so overpowering in this little cavern. A groan came from the direction of the chasm, loud enough to alert Kin and Junko, who turned.

There was a woman in a dirty white cloak, groaning. She had no mushrooms growing on her, and appeared to be near-skeletal. She was bound by rotten vines that seemed somewhat strong, her head lolling from one side to the other, as her silver eyes moved around the cavern blearily. She was tied up a few feet away from the chasm, and kept upright, for some odd reason..

"What the...?" She grumbled, as Kin and Junko cautiously walked over to her, her silver eyes barely managing to focus on them, "H...How did you...find this place...?"

"Miss? What's going on? Where is this place?" Kin asked, his excitement having long since left him. Now, there was only fear and disgust.

'No despair...' Junko absentmindedly noted, as she paid attention to the woman.

"Y-You two...run...leave me and...save yourselves..." The woman gasped out, coughing, "Before it's too...late..."

"What? No! Damn it, my knife should cut through these vines!" Kin drew his knife and put it close to the vines, and the woman gasped.

"Wait, don't-"

Kin cut through the vines, and they fell to the woman's feet, useless. The woman stared at them in horror.

"...What...have you done...?" The woman gasped.

The ground rumbled.

The woman let out a panicked gasp.

And, as Junko watched in abject horror, the corpses began to _get up_.

"Run..." The woman wheezed. Acting impulseively, Kin grabbed the woman and lifted her up, before staggering. Junko went to help, the two lifting the woman and running back into the tunnel.

"Pape...Pape...Papeeeeeeeeeee!" The corpses screeched, before they all took off after the three.

* * *

 _And now, back to Makoto and the others_

* * *

"What the hell are we running from?!" Makoto yelled, the five running as fast as they could, while Mukuro had taken the mysterious woman from Kin and Junko, and was carrying her bridal style. They exited the cave, as Kin and Junko looked back frantically.

"More importantly, who's this woman?! Where did you even find her?!" Mukuro asked, panting from the extra burden of carrying the woman while running at 20 miles per hour, "I know for sure she wasn't in that dome back there! Goddammit, Junko, did you somehow kidnap her or something-"

"SHUT UP!" Junko screeched, running her hands her hands through her hair, "GODDAMIT, EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP FOR A SECOND!"

Everyone paused, shocked. Even in the final trial, Junko had never sounded so desperate, so _terrified_ in her life. She was frantically looking at the tunnel, while mumbling words under her breath. Meanwhile, Kin was checking over the woman, who had been breathing shallowly, but not too shallowly so that she seemed to be dying. She was still fine, it appeared.

"Kin!" Junko suddenly shouted, looking at the aforementioned Faunus angrily, "When we get back, you are so dead!" Kin gulped, but glanced at the tunnel.

"That can wait for later! Are any of them coming up the tunnel?" Kin asked, eying the tunnel, and Junko stayed silent, listening, before paling quickly.

"...We have to go. Now." She said, "Get that woman up, we have to go now! They're almost here!"

"What?! What's almost here?!" Sayaka asked. Before either of them could answer, there was a resounding crack that echoed from the cave. They all slowly turned towards the cave.

"Pape...Pape...PapepapepapepapePAPEPAPEPAPEPAPEPAPEEEEEEEEEEE!" A rotting corpse, covered in mushroom emerged from the cave, and Makoto gagged. Then another. And another. Corpse and after stalked out of the cave, staring balefully at the group of Hunters-to-be. Some were whole, and had a few bloodstains on them. Some were in pieces, dragging themselves towards the group. Some were partially fused into stone, using their hands to scrabble for them. All were dead. All had mushrooms growing on them. And all of them were very, _very **angry**_. As one, they opened their mouths and screeched.

 _ **"PAPE MYCOPHOBIA, ALEPPE!** **"**_

In a deep chasm in a cavern that did not belong, at the very bottom, far away from the forest, a single mushroom began to wriggle.

* * *

 **A/N: Yep. Splitting the Initiation into two parts, because I'm a lazy bastard. And because the Grimm Makoto and the others encounter is...well...**

 **Let's just say even the white-cloaked woman who fought it wasn't able to beat it (Kudos to anyone who knows who she is.) But yeah, the Grimm I picked for Class 78 to fight is officially named 'Mycophobia'. Three guesses why, first two don't count. I'll make a little Omake detailing it's abilities in the next chapter, to avoid spoilers.**

 **But this is it! Everyone's met up and partnered together, we have little mini-fights here and there (read: Class 78 slapping the Grimm around like fucking punching bags), and a unique five-man team due to a loophole in the rules. Hah! Suck it, Fanfiction, I managed to come up with a legit reason why there could be a five-man team in RWBY! *cockblock dance here***

 **Ozpin and Glynda are observing the students, and their reactions to Mycophobia will be...er...They'll be in the next chapter. Fuck you, procrastination. Fuck you.**

 **Initiation was really a bit of filler, in my opinion. It was used to showcase everyone's combat abilities and teamwork, and there really wasn't any difficult fighting to be shown there. No challenges, or hardships, Hell, the Giant Grimm they fought, which are supposed to be B-rank, got absolutely trounced!**

 **I'm changing that.**

 **I'm giving Class 78 one of the hardest fights they'll ever have, divided into three 'stages', so to speak, and it's going to take up the entire next chapter. It's going to be a bit epic, there's gonna be lots of ass-kicking, and...Oops. Saying anymore would be spoiling it. But it'll be awesome. Count on it.**

 **The shipping poll is still open, and the side ships I have are currently:**

 **-Lancaster**

 **-Dragonslayer**

 **-Arkos (Pyrrha deserves some appreciation too)**

 **The side ship poll will be made soon. Still waiting on more side ships, so suggest some, people!**

 **And does anyone have Team names for the teams I'll make? I have MN, SM, MI, JE, and KS, for one team, and I'm still not sure who's teaming up with who other than those five. They have to be colors, as per Monty's color rule. Good luck. You'll definitely need it. If I can't get any colors, I guess I'll resort to my Plan B...**

 **Anyways, with all that out of the way, you know the drill by now! If you have any questions, PM me or put it in the reviews, and I'll answer you as soon as possible! And if you find any mistakes in the chapter, please tell me so I can revise them! I hate having typos in my stories!**

 **With that being said, this is Gold Magikarp, signing off! Peace!**


	7. Chapter 6: Fear is the Enemy (Part 2)

**Before we begin, let me tell you that I am an extremely biased NaegixMaizonoxIkasuba shipper. The O3- is precious and must be protected, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. *insistent hissing here***

 **And there is a stupidly cheesy anime cliché in the chapter. I'm so sorry.**

 **Before we begin, let me tell you that I am an extremely biased NaegixMaizonoxIkasuba shipper. The O3- is precious and must be protected, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. *insistent hissing here***

 **And there is a stupidly cheesy anime cliché in the chapter. I'm so sorry.**

 **Now, my first review answer! Because the other review questions could be answered by playing the Danganronpa video games, watching RWBY, or they have very obvious answers. No offense.**

 **To Ultimate Kuuga, I would just like to point out that those are not Clickers from The Last of Us. They are extremely similar, but there are two major differences.**

 **Firstly, the mushrooms are black.**

 **Secondly, Clickers _cannot speak._**

 **As for why they can speak, if any of you are wondering, let me just tell you this.**

 **To be able to speak, you would have to be 'sentient enough to be aware of your actions.'**

 **Take that in any way you want.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Fear is the Enemy (Part 2)**

* * *

" _The irrational fear of mushrooms and other fungi."_

 _-The definition of mycophobia_

* * *

Ozpin idly watched the Scroll, noting the pairs of students fighting the Grimm.

"Hm. Miss Rose and Miss Schnee have seem to have shot down the Nevermore with Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao-Long...Wait. What is she doing with that-?" The Nevermore crashed into the cliff, with Ruby dragging the Nevermore by the neck with Crescent Rose and running up the cliff, decapitating the Grimm upon bursting up to the edge. Below Jaune Arc had led three other students, including Pyrrha Nikos, to victory against a giant Deathstalker via a clever application of Akouo, and the hammer-and-nail strategy.

"Glynda, please make a note to make Miss Rose and Mister Arc the leaders of their respective teams."

"Sir, you can't mean to put those two as leaders!" Glynda replied incredulously, staring at Ozpin in shock.

"Those two have managed to lead groups of students, some the two did not know until they met at the temple, to kill massive Grimm normally saved for actual Hunters. They have shown tenacity, courage, and the ability to lead on the battlefield. I fully believe that they can lead their teams, and you should as well. Trust in them, Glynda. They managed to get into Beacon for a reason." Glynda sighed, but nodded, tapping notes into her Scroll after a smile directed at the Headmaster. Smiling back, Ozpin turned back to his Scroll, and swiped to another camera.

He frowned.

And then he paled.

And then he gasped in horror.

"...Glynda. Stop the Initiation."

"S-Sir, I can't just-"

"STOP THE INITIATION THIS INSTANT!" Ozpin yelled, a panicked look in his eyes. Flinching, Glynda frantically began tapping messages to send to the remaining students, which were actually very little. Only seventeen, to count, "Headmaster, why are we doing this right now?"

"That's not important right now-"

"Ozpin. Please."There was a tinge of desperation in Glynda's voice. The Initiation wouldn't be stopped for anything short of an S-Rank Grimm, and both of them knew it.

"...It's Mycophobia." Ozpin stated, in a grave tone. Glynda paled, and nearly dropped her Scroll, "Mycophobia has been sighted, and is rampaging through the Emerald Forest. It's chasing five of the 'Surprises' across the forest, and...they're carrying a woman in a white cloak."

"B-But that would mean-"

"Yes," Ozpin nodded, "Summer is still alive...and so is Mycophobia." His next words chilled to the bone.

 **"One of the world's few R-Rank Grimm has returned."**

* * *

The world of Remnant held many Grimm, in all shapes and sizes. Each Grimm was powerful, but on varying levels previously unknown to man. Thus, a group of researchers took it upon themselves to calculate the Grimm's power via 'ranks'.

They succeeded.

They mapped out the extent of the power of Grimm, and aided in the Hunting business, becoming millionaires and gaining world-renowned fame. Their system graded Grimm from F, a single juvenile Beowulf, to SSS, a massive horde of various Grimm spearheaded by a group of Goliaths. Their measurements, their equations and calculations were perfect, down to the most minuscule of details, and missions soon became to use these ranks as a way to assess the danger level. The system is, to this day, known worldwide and used in every Hunting and regular school on Remnant.

What is not known, however, is the category beyond SSS-Rank, a category reserved for the most powerful of the most powerful Grimm, a category filled with only .01 percent of Grimm in Remnant, where all Hunters were explicitly banned from fighting.

The R-Rank.

The R-Rank was for Grimm who would crush armies like bugs, impeded all expeditions, no matter how secure or backed by how many forces there were, and could singlehandedly end a Kingdom all on their own. It was known only by a handful of elite Huntsmen, the Headmasters of the Hunting Academies, and the Kingdom Councils. It was Top-Secret, any information on R-Rank Grimm locked in vaults beneath 3000 feet of stone and metal. The only known strategies, gathered from Hunters who illegally went off to defeat one, and almost never returned, when fighting an R-Rank Grimm were to 'Run', or to 'Pray'.

Ten years ago, Summer Rose was sent to defeat and kill Mycophobia, one of the R-Rank Grimm, via her silver eyes and Hunting skills. The Kingdom Councils held onto hope that she would succeed, and Ozpin took solace in that her silver eyes would protect her.

She never returned, and Mycophobia disappeared off the face of Remnant. Both of their whereabouts remained unknown for a year, until they were pronounced dead, and they were forgotten except by a single family.

As for the 'R' in R-Rank, it stood for many things. 'Restricted', 'Retribution', 'Raze', 'Rampant', and many more. But there was one word, above all, that could safely describe the R-Rank.

 _ **'Reaper'.**_

* * *

 _"Go go go! We have to lose them in the forest!"_

It was terrifying.

 _"There's too many, they're trying to corral us!" "We have to stick together! They have numbers, they'll pick us off one by one!"_

It was a twisted, macabre sight before the audience.

 _"Guys! Shoot them!" "Are you crazy?! They're people!" "They're_ walking corpses _, what do you think's going to stop them, rainbows and confetti?! They're already dead!"_

And yet Munakata could not look away.

Even as he watched corpses infected with black mushrooms scream and run at the group of six, he could not look away. Even as he watched teenagers, innocent and kind, blast away brains off and hack off fungi to screeches of pain or muffled gurgling, Munakata could not look away.

His coffee mug, filled with the steaming hot ambrosia of the gods (read: coffee.), had slipped from his fingers and fallen onto his lap, emptying the scalding contents onto his legs.

Neither he nor anyone else in the meeting room noticed.

* * *

 _"They're closing in on us! We have to get out of here!"_

Fuyuhiko was sweating.

 _"They're surrounding, make some holes in their formation before they can!"_

Fuyuhiko was sweating, and he didn't like it. He didn't recognize the strange feeling tightening his heart, making him pour sweat from every pore of his body. Besides him, the other members of Ultimate Despair were gripped in the same feeling, tensed up and eyes dilating as they watched the screen.

 _"Get down!" BOOM! "Alright, we can make our way through there-Owada? Owada, over here!" "What the-Are those zombies?!" "No time to explain, just get this woman to safety! Meet up with us at the temple!" "Got it-OH SHIT! CHIHIRO, HOLD ON!"_

This feeling...it was familiar. He didn't recognize it, but his body knew what it felt like. It was...it was...

Ah, yes.

It was fear.

 **He didn't like fear.**

* * *

 _"Run!" "It's Celeste and Hifumi! Run, RUN!" "Naegi-dono?! What are youoooOOOOOHHH GOD, CELESTE-SAMA, WE MUST LEAVE POST-HASTE!"_

"D-Demons...Those demons are r-real..." Masaru choked out, hands trembling at the sight of the zombies.

"T-To think that demons like those were in Remnant...dear L-Lord..." Nagisa added, his pencil having fallen from his hand.

 _"Makoto-chii!" "Hagakure?!" "My Semblance foresaw you coming by, Ishimaru's on Acheron with Mondo and Chihiro! They can't find a safe place for that woman, they're bringing her to the temple!" "WHAT?!" "Let's just focus on getting to the ruins first, Makoto!"_

"Scary,,,,scary,,,,,demons are s-so s-scary..." Jataro mumbled, curled into the fetal position, his hands over his head, "S-scary demons..."

 _"Hagakure, did Mondo say anything about the others?!" "Yeah, he's going to spread the word about what's going on. Everyone's heading to the ruins right now, they're forming a vanguard for the...zombies...Oh God, I just realized they're fucking zombies! WHY ARE WE RUNNING FROM FUCKING ZOMBIES?!" "PAPEEEEEEEEEE!"_

"C-Come on, Big Sis Junko! You can beat them! You can beat those demons!" Kotoko cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

"Yeah! Go Big Sis Junko!" Monaca added, cheering her 'Big Sis' on.

"B-Big Sis Junko can beat them, right?"

"Yeah...Yeah, she's Big Sis Junko, after all!"

"Go, Big Sis Junko!"

"Go, Big Sis Junko!"

The Warriors of Hope cheered for their sister-figure as they watched the Initiation.

That didn't stop them from eyeing the garbage disposal chute, where their parents' corpses still remained.

* * *

"Come on, Nii-san, you got this..."

Komaru didn't know what exactly she should feel. On one hand, her big brother was taking charge and leading an impromptu rescue mission while being chased by zombies. On the other hand, _her big brother was taking charge and leading an impromptu rescue mission while being chased by zombies_. She was both in awe and terrified, and she hated that.

Looking around, she saw that her parents were fearful for Makoto, their knuckles white from clenching their fists so hard. And everyone else seemed to feel similar feelings. Takaaki-san's hand was twitching towards his gun, and Hiroko-san was sweating at the sight of her son frantically running from walking corpses. Yuta-san and Takemichi-san had leaped together, hugging each other at the terrifying sight, thought the latter would probably deny it later. Daiya's ghost was flickering between tangible and intangible as he watched his younger brother shoot at zombies chasing Acheron, and telling everyone to rendezvous at the temple ruins.

The entirety of the audience in the Brothers' realm, hell, even the _Brothers themselves_ seemed shocked at what they saw. The sight of Class 78 fighting off legitimate zombies was a bit jarring, to say the least.

 _"Everyone! We're here!" "MakotoooooOOOOOH FUCK! EVERYONE DODGE, I'M HITTING A HOME RUNNER!" BRA-KOOOM, BOOM BOOM BOOM! "Leon, there's more headed our way, we need to push them back!" You got it! Everyone, shoot the zombies! Keep that woman safe!"_

"Go, Leon-onii!" Kanon cheered, in an obvious attempt to stave off her anxiety, judging by her clammy palms, "You can do it!"

"UOOOOOOOOH! Go Boss!" "GO BOSS!" "Go Boss!" "GO BOSS!" The Crazy Diamonds were leading a chant, though they seemed nervous. A few of the others had joined in, cheering for their respective Ultimate.

"Young Master, please, _please_ remain safe..." Aloysius Pennyworth muttered, as he petted Celeste's cat (name too long, will not type), who looked both desperate for comfort, and scared.

Komaru couldn't help but smile a bit. Even when they were most certainly safe and had almost everything taken care of for them, everyone was still worried about most of Class 78.

 _"They're trying to corral us! Break through before they can! Head for the cliff!" "C'mon, we gotta go!""Sakura! Use Richter Palm on the ground, break it up, it'll slow them!" "Got it, Aoi!" C-KRRRRRK! "That's our signal, run!"_

"Go Makoto!" Komaru cheered, "Beat those zombies!"

They were being herded.

Junko realized it the moment they reached the cliff.

This was part of some plan made by the corpses, and she was honestly shocked at how even she had fallen for it. On one side would be the cliff, which would normally lead to safety, and Beacon. Except that the bridge leading to the cliff had been smashed to bits. And that surrounding the group of eighteen was the entire zombie army, spanning all the way to the forest and out of the sight. Corpses as far as the eye could see. As one, they leered at the group, taking a single step towards the vastly smaller group.

Junko shot the front line down with Fire Dust grenades.

* * *

 **First Phase Begin**

* * *

"Hold the line!" Makoto called, and she saw a bright golden light shoot out of him and envelop Class 78 and Kin. When the light hit her, she felt stronger, quicker, more confident. Was Makoto...was Makoto _boosting_ them with his hope?!

….She was conflicted about that.

 **Makoto Naegi's Semblance:**

 **Rally the Troops**

Empowered by the, eugh, _hope_ fuelling her, she leaped into battle, tearing and slashing at the corpses and mostly decapitating them as fast as she could. Explosions, and gunshots rang out from behind her, the others following her.

Kin rushed to her side, taking out corpses with simple stabs to the back of the neck, or the head. A pragmatic, cold fighter who wasted no movements. He thinned their numbers one by one, covered by Junko, who would occasionally watch in awe.

Mondo gunned corpses down with Acheron, Ishimaru and Chihiro providing him with support when a zombie got too close. Hagakure led zombies on wild goose chases, leading them to Hifumi and Celeste, who would smash them into gristly bits, the three taking potshots they knew would anger the corpses.

Togami was untouchable, burning zombies to crisps with his unnamed weapon, with Toko killing any he missed with Bloodlust. Kyoko knocked around zombies into Leon's baseball grenades, Aoi and Sakura punching and kicking away those who got too close for Leon to use Grand Slam. The four swatted zombies around like scraps of paper, to the point where the rest thought the others would be easier targets.

Makoto, Mukuro, and Sayaka fought like a well-oiled machine, no holes in their defenses as they fought back-to-back-to-back. A perfect defense, the three covering each others' strengths and weaknesses. Sayaka and Mukuro would shoot down zombies, eyes watching like circling hawks, pinpointing any that began to lurch towards them. Makoto sliced down any stragglers, acting as a sword and shield for the girls. Nobody bothered commenting on the blushes the two girls had whenever Makoto protected them.

It was this group of students-to-be that forced back the walking corpses, driving them back to the point where the army, impossibly, begin to run short of troops, the end of the now largely-diminished zombie horde came into sight.

"We can do this!" Makoto called, boosting them even further, "We can beat them! We can fight back!"

As if meaning to spite him, the ground cracked.

It came as a slight rumble. Barely noticeable, something Class 78 would have normally ignored in favor continuing the fight.

The horde stopped. They just stopped fighting, remaining still, and that was enough to make Class 78.

And then there was a mighty crack in the distance, and something burst from the ground, leaping high into the air.

It was headed for them.

Dear God, it was heading for them.

Their eyes following the _thing_ in the air, they could do nothing but watch in horror as it grew nearer and nearer. And then it landed in front of themselves.

And Makoto, Mukuro, Sayaka, Junko, and Kin gaped in horror. Because the thing that stood in front of them was the creature from the paintings.

A monolithic Grimm construct, it towered 20 meters into the air, every detail they had seen in the paintings nightmarishly detailed and burned into their minds. The humans assimilated into the stem screamed in agony and suffering, while the animals would screech and howl, black blood pouring from their mouths as they writhed in pain. The humans at the base of the stem was, fortunately, not hanging.

Unfortunately, their heads were missing, replaced by massive spore sacs that were connected to the rest of the rotting bodies.

It's eyes, crusted over with rheum, dilated and contracted wildly, looking at everywhere and everyone. Then they focused on the group of humans before it.

There was a sickening series of snaps, and the sound of flesh melding.

And Mukuro, the battle-hardened veteran, who had fought in countless wars, lost her breakfast as a massive face, akin to that of a human skull began to form on the middle of the stem.

And then it began to speak.

 **"Oobebebe..."**

* * *

 _"Aaaaaahhhh...humans...how wonderful...I_ love _humans..."_

Kyosuke Munakata struggled violently not to vomit, his knuckles pure white from the lack of blood.

 _"Humans have...always interested me, you see...back when your kind did not yet find Dust, you were always so resilient..."_

The sound of retching came from behind him, numerous branch heads emptying their stomachs upon the sight of the _demon_ , that thing could not be called a mere Grimm.

 _"Yes, even back then, you were all so...resilient..."_

* * *

 _"And then you found Dust and_ flourished. _To see such beautiful progress...such glorious evolution in process...yes, it was fascinating back then..."_

The Ultimate Despair had backed into the couch, terror gripping their hearts as they watched.

 _"I grew as humanity grew, bloomed as humanity bloomed...but even then, that was not enough...so I become one with a human...and then, I realized that was the only way for I to evolve, and I evolve and evolved, becoming more alongside mankind."_

"God is not in Remnant." The sudden statement came from Ibuki, who stared at the screen, her face pale and clammy.

"...What?" was the stunned question from Sonia.

"God is not in Remnant." She replied.

"And why...do you think that?" Ibuki's eyes turned to her, haunted.

"Because for something like that to exist in this world..." Ibuki swallowed, "God would have to have abandoned us all first."

* * *

 _"And I shall continue to grow...and grow...and grow as you fight...So please, fight...stuggle...futilely battle with me..."_

The Warriors of Hope did not speak, for there was nothing to say.

They did not move, for there was no point of moving without cowardice.

All they could do, was watch the screen in terror, and reassure themselves that Mycophobia was not exist on Earth.

All they could do, for their childish minds did not know better, was tell themselves that the thin glass barrier seperating them from Mycophobia, was the only thing keeping it trapped, away from them.

 _"Struggle! Struggle for your lives! So I may learn more! So I may evolve more!"_

* * *

 _"... **And give me more reasons to love humans.~** "_

"...What have I created?" The Younger Brother gasped in horror.

* * *

 **First Phase finished, Begin Second Phase**

* * *

It wasn't hard killing the zombies. They were squishy, and extremely weak, with their only real threat being infection via biting them.

That was no longer the case, with Mycophobia having arrived. The true 'boss' was here, and it was the very embodiment of 'parasitic strength'. It's spores, the size of their heads, rained down and burst open, causing more mushrooms to grow. They couldn't go near Mycophobia because of this, and any zombie why was touched by the spores grew stronger, previously dead zombies getting back up, even with no head. The beings assimilated into the stem spewed the black blood, which corroded anything it touched, and it's multiple eyes left it with no blind spot, the face on the stem frowing more and more pronounced as time went it.

It was hopeless. It was impossible to win. Even Makoto Naegi, the boy known for his everlasting optimism, faltered.

 _And yet Class 78 would not go down_.

They reasoned that Mycophobia was covered in Grimm bone. Any bullets bounced off of it, and it's eyes would just glare at them smugly.

So they shot Mycophobia in the eyes.

The results were predictable. Mycophobia screeched in pain, growing frenzied, before mushrooms grew around the eyes, protecting them. Unfortunately for Mycophobia, those mushrooms weren't protected by Grimm bone, and could be easily shot off. Celeste and Sayaka did just that, shooting off mushrooms before blowing out the eyes, and creating blind spots for Mycophobia. The zombies grew more frenzied in accordance, frantically charging the group and biting at them, which anyone with a close-combat weapon would quickly squash down. Class 78, and Kin, performed with teamwork normally seen in military squads, systemically killing zombie after zombie, shooting out Mycophobia's eyes. It leaped around, shaking the earth and aiming to crush them, while zombies charged them. Dust rounds flew off of it, normal bullets dented and fell off, and they couldn't get close enough to hack at it. Moreover, the constant movement ensured that they couldn't get a lock on it. Celeste, being the Ultimate Gambler, took a potshot at it.

Mycophobia leaped into the bullet, it's eye exploding in gore and blood.

It screamed in agony, blindly stomping around and shooting spores at them, and they frantically moved to avoid the spores, making masks with their clothes. They fought off zombies who charged, relocating time after time again and shooting at Mycophobia's eyes, the aforementioned Grimm leaping around yet again and again to avoid the shots, until no eyes remained. The gills could not be shot with normal bullets, for the spores pouring out of them blocked the bullets.

They launched Fire Dust rounds at the gills.

The gills burst into flames, before quickly going out, and Mycophobia roared in fury. No more spores poured from the gills, but black blood coagulated around the gills, and it's body began to crack and shift. It's legs grew longer and thicker, the wheel-like structure growing jagged and spiked, and two eyes emerged from the face's 'eye sockets', glaring at them. The beings assimilated into it screamed and howled, black blood pouring from their visible orifices, and they soon disappeared under the deluge, the liquid slowly crawling up and down the spine and fixing the Grimm, and leaving subtle changes when it finished. When Mycophobia was done regenerating, the black liquid seeped back into it, and it howled.

It's body contorted, the four flower buds surrounding the main bud blooming, and four vine-like structure launched out of each one, a mouth full of gnashing sharp teeth at the very end. They ate almost everything in sight, trying to get to Class 78. Eyes began emerging from previously unoccupied flesh and bone, leering at the seventeen fighter, and the woman who was still unconscious and with them. It's 'mouth' fully split open, and a long slimy tentacle lolled out of it, covered in barbs and black blood.

It was evolving.

It was evolving right in front of them, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

It leered at them, the 'mouth' stretching into a grin.

 **"Come now, you worthless humans. Struggle against my superior evolution."**

The moment they tried to shoot Mycophobia with normal bullets, they knew something was up.

The bullets, which should have penetrated the eyes, bounced off like rubber bullets, and everyone paused.

The eyes were bulletproof.

 _This was bullshit_.

Despite having evolved to a moe genetically superior form for more power, the forced rapid evolution had clearly taken a toll on Mycophobia. It was slower than before, but made up for it with it's far more superior defenses, leaving Class 78 drawing a blank on how to take it's eyes out. In addition to that, the zombies were swarming them whenever they could, though they were more permanently disposed of due to the lack of spores. The black blood from Mycophobia would constantly force high-speed cellular regeneration, and the 'sacheads' at the bottom were beginning to move, writhing and squirming, growing thinner and thinner by the minute.

"Push towards Mycophobia!" Makoto yelled, "The spores are gone, we can get close now!" With that, zombies were utterly destroyed, and part of Class 78 pushed towards Mycophobia, who remained oddly stationary.

 **"ha...hahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Mycophobia howled in laughter, it's body shaking, **"Well done! Well done indeed, humans! You've pushed me harder than any other in my lifespan! Truly, you are amazing!"**

It twitched.

A feeling of cold dread and horror permeated the area.

 **"I will stop holding back now."**

The vines began eating the zombies. Any corpses were dragged and assimilated into the Grimm, disappearing beneath the flesh. Six giant nubs began to grow from the center of the stem, bursting open, and revealing-

Arms.

Mycophobia had arms now. Six monolithic arms that looked like a human arms, if they were poorly molded by a child using Play-Doh. The body grew larger, faces bubbling up from unoccupied flesh, and the legs and 'wheel' began to twist and contort, the jagged spikes _shooting themselves_ at Class 78, as human hands grew out of the legs, grabbing at them if they got too close.

The main flower bud, sitting on the very top of Mycophobia's cap, moved ever so slightly, peeling itself open just the tiniest bit.

 **"Come, humans. Here is your final trial."**

* * *

 **Second Phase finished, Begin Final Phase**

 _ **Good Luck.**_

* * *

The clearing nearly exploded the moment Mycophobia stopped talked, projectiles too fast for the eye to see slamming into the dirt in front of them. Everyone scattered, Mondo taking the woman, while Kin stuck with Junko. With no zombies or spores to worry about, Class 78 could get close.

Could.

With it's new arms, Mycophobia would tear up large chunks of dirt and hurl them at the Hunters-to-be, the mysterious projectiles shooting from it's body as well. This made even fighting it extremely hard, especially when it could turn on it's spores anytime it wanted. The most they could do was take potshots at it and run around, and the black blood was much faster at healing Mycophobia than before.

In essence, if they didn't think of something, they were screwed.

"Get down!" Makoto yelled, dropping to the floor as a projectile shot towards his head. The cliffside was practically gone, explosions and repeated stomping destabilizing the earth and causing it to crack apart, falling into the ravine and cutting off some of what little ground they had to fight.

"Makoto! It's assimilating again!" Celeste yelled, shooting at the massive mushroom construct. Yes, in addition to Mycophobia's physical evolution, it also went from assimilating living beings only, to assimilating _anything_ organic. With it's already uber-powerful build, this made it nigh-invincible, and everyone conscious knew it. Grass was pulled into the construct, and used to heal the Grimm.

Makoto was fairly it was only toying with them, or else they would all be puddles of gore and mush. Stupid sadistic Grimm.

 **"Struggle, foolish humans! I shall gain more knowledge from your meaningless fights!"** Mycophobia screamed, laughing maniacally. OK, so maybe it wasn't just sadistic.

"Makoto, what do we do?" Mukuro asked, having ran up to him, shooting at Mycophobia. The soldier had spotted that Fire Dust still easily pierced it, but it would heal too quickly for the Dust to even activate.

"We have to hold out for now, wait until Beacon responds to this." Makoto gritted out, barely managing to use Jeweled General to block an incoming projectile, "There's not really a coice here, no access to the cliff, no way to get help, our Scrolls are broken...dammit. We are not dying here today!"

He roared, and slapped a projectile to the side, growling as his arm strained itself to the near-limit.

"Makoto! The things Mycophobia's shooting, they're mushrooms!" Sayaka's voice piped up, shooting Fire Dust round after Fire Dust round at Mycophobia, trying to create too many wounds for it's psuedo-healing to keep up with.

"They're mushrooms...oh shit. Get away from them!" He yelled, just as the mushrooms exploded into spores. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but everyone save Kin, Makoto, Sayaka, Mukuro, Junko, and the woman were trapped with Mycophobia, while everyone else was separated by a visible barrier of mushroom spores threatening to turn them into a mindless puppet of Mycophobia.

 **"And now you have no help."** Mycophobia crowed, it's 'face' in a smug grin, **"What will you do now that your allies are behind you, trapped behind my barrier?"**

"Dammit..." Makoto growled, his grip beginning to waver. They were trapped. There was certainly no way they could survive without killing Mycophobia, and even then that was near impossible.

"Makoto."

Damn. To know that there was no way of escaping, that they were probably going to die, nothing truly accomplished...

"Makoto!"

This was despair, huh?

But even then, a small yet loud part of his mind screamed to have hope, because everything would be OK.

"MAKOTO!"

His head snapped up, at the two girls glaring at him.

"You better not have given up yet, Naegi!" Sayaka excalimed, "Junko might have a plan and, despicable as she might be, it may be our only chance!"

"On your feet, soldier!" Mukuro continued, a confident smile on her face, "You still have life in you! We can do this!" The next words were spoken in unison by the two.

" **You can do it, leader!** "

For some reason, those words ignited something in him. A fire, a feeling hope and confidence and _optimism_ blooming in his heart, and he couldn't help but grin at the two girls, the two that managed to help him up whenever he felt down.

"What's the plan?" He asked, turning to Junko, who had an oddly serious and determined face.

"You're not going to like it." She replied.

"Tell me anyways."

She told him. He didn't like it.

* * *

"This is a horrible idea!" Makoto yelled.

"You think I don't know that?" Junko replied, ducking under a flying mushroom shot.

Makoto was dodging projectiles, still fighting. Next to him, Junko shot down spores, and Kin quickly dissected mushrooms that would hit the ground, throwing the spore sacs into the barrier. It thickened it, but that was better than losing any more ground they had.

"Alright, the plan is you blast me into the air at Mycophobia with grenades, Sayaka and Mukuro take potshots at speeding mushrooms _faster than the eye can see_ , and Kin is supposed to throw the knife directly into a fucking Fire Dust crystal _in my hand_ before I _stab it into Mycophobia_!"

"Basically!"

"What kind of unholy ideas were going through your head when you thought of this?!"

"This is literally the only idea that might work, now shut up and get ready!" Makoto growled under his breath, but braced himself.

"What's the success rate?"

"0.001%!"

"WHAT?!"

"All my other ideas have a 0% success rate, you wanna try those ones instead?!"

"Just get ready, dammit!"

It was a stupid plan. A plan that, by all means, was impossible. A plan that, if it were anyone else, it shouldn't have worked.

But because it was Makoto Naegi, or rather, because of his 'good luck', that to the most infinitesimal parts of the infinitesimal details that made up everything in Junko's plan work, everything lined up.

And Makoto _soared_.

The concussive blast from the grenades sent Makoto skyrocketing towards Mycophobia, the fire just barely touching the very bottoms of his shoes, as he sped towards the massive mushroom. Just as Junko said, it began shooting mushrooms at Makoto, as if to believe that Makoto was helpless in the air.

They almost instantaneously exploded, one after another, in an incredibly lucky series of potshots from Sayaka and Mukuro, who never lost concentration, constantly shooting blindly, and constantly hitting the mushrooms in mid-air. Junko shot out another batch of grenades when Makoto began to slow, propelling him even further, and he began to pump his Aura into the Fire Dust crystal, a faint glow blooming from within the crystal.

 **"Hahahahahaha! Amazing! Simpyl amazing! To think humans, this glorious creatures, were capable of such wonderful things!"** Mycophobia howled mirthfully, shooting more and more mushrooms at Makoto, **"Come, human! Show me the true strength, the true pinnacle, of mankind's potential!"**

And still, Makoto drew nearer to Mycophobia, the Dust crystal shining brighter and brighter in his hand. To any other person, it seemed as if he held an infernal red light in his hands, it fighting to burst from him any second.

And just the right second, down to the infinite digits that lined up with Kin's throw, the knife struck the glowing Dust crystal just as Makoto reached Mycophobia. He grabbed the handle and, using the knife, _slammed the now Dust-laden knife straight into Mycophobia's 'face', right between the eyes._ The black blood immediately surged towards the wound, trying to close it up and extinguish the Dust, but it burned the ichor away faster than it could snuff it out, Makoto having let go of the knife long before the black blood got to him.

 **"...Ah...So this is the extent of mankind's potential..."**

"No," Makoto said, as he fell, Sayaka and Mukuro running to catch him, "With mankind, there is always more to expect."

The mushroom construct _cracked_ , red light shining from inside. The 'face' began to twist and contort, as a normal person would when dealing with a severe amount of pain.

 **"...Aaaaaaahh...AaaaaAAAhhhhhHhHh...AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"** Mycophobia suddenly screamed staggering a bit...before it's face twisted into a smile.

 **"Ah, how I love humans."**

Then it burst into flames, the smile still on it's face. Soon it began to cackle maniacally, it's eyes wide with mirth and ecstasy. Even as it burned, it kept laughing. Even when it's 'face' began curling in on itself, it's 'eyes' melting into a disgusting black sludge, it kept laughing. As it broke down into nothing, and began to crackle and blacken, that damning laughter would still continue.

The laughter only stopped when the main flower bud on it's cap, having peeled itself open after the Fire Dust was injected into it, and spitting out a middle-aged pale woman, who fell towards the ground, Mukuro catching her while Sayaka caught Makoto.

The woman had delicate porcelain-colored skin, and wore a white fur coat, with white 'puffs' of fur trim. She had a spiked choker around her neck, and a white sleeveless dress with the same kind of 'puffs' of fur trim at the top of the dress. On her head was a peculiar shroom-shaped hat with two mesh layers, one shorter than the other, that made it seem like an unfinished funeral veil. If one paid attention closely, they would see that underneath the veil, the black sludge had formed a mask that covered the top half of the face, with eye holes, and stopped just at the tip of the nose, with a few stray 'drops' making it seem like tear drops, and that that they would see odd eyes, that were black with red irises.

But the fighters were tired, too tired to notice such details, and collapsed to the ground as the exhaustion finally caught up with them. Behind them, the barrier of spores slowly drifted apart, and the rest of Class 78 ran past the barrier, grabbing onto the six bodied there.

In front of them, Bullheads began to finally emerge in the distance, the nightmare of Mycophobia finally at an end.

 **Final Phase finished.**

 _ **Well Done.**_

* * *

 **A/N: …...Yep. Mycophobia is the main villain behind the Beacon Initiation for Class 78, and is one of the most difficult battles they'll ever have. It's superior intelligence, ability to strategize even with it's limited resources, and ability to fucking spam mushrooms makes it a Grimm worthy of being R-Rank. And it had an unhealthy obsession with humanity and their potential, preferring to battle them to gain more knowledge for itself, rather than just instantly assimilating them.**

 **And Class 78 managed to defeat it. Something a silver-eyed warrior couldn't do. Think about that for a bit.**

 **But yeah, this entire chapter was dedicating to fighting Mycophobia, from the chase with it's zombies, to the actual fight, to it's defeat. Even the woman that appeared from Mycophobia is significant to Mycophobia itself. Kinda obvious why, but for the few that don't see why, it'll be explained why in the next chapter.**

 **Speaking of the next chapter, there's not a lot. It'll be the aftermath after Mycophobia's defeat, and a bunch of sappy moments for Summer and her family, and the conclusion to the current arc. Sorry if you were expecting more, but it'll probably be shorter than most of the other chapters. Probably.**

 **On a side note, Makoto's Semblance was unlocked! Yay!**

 **With that out of the way, let me listing the current ships that, excluding Kin x Junko (still need a ship name for that), might appear:**

 **-Naezono**

 **-Naekuro**

 **-Naegiri**

 **-Makoto x Mukuro x Sayaka (My personal favorite.)**

 **-Lancaster**

 **-Arkos (Mandatory ship choice)**

 **And if you have any ship suggestions, PM me, or say it in the comments. I'm also still looking for a beta for this story, so PM me if you want to beta. If you have any team names for Class 78, PLEASE, send them here. I'm running myself ragged trying to find colors that work with their initials, and it hurts my brain.**

 **Before I go, as promised, an Omake detailing Mycophobia!**

* * *

 **Omake: A report on the R-Rank Grimm 'Mycophobia'**

 **Name:** Mycophobia

 **Based off of:** Mushrooms

 **Variants:** None, Unique Grimm

 **Habitat:** Any. It is a 'Wandering Grimm' that was sighted across the entirety of Remnant at one point, proves to be extremely resilient to any weather conditions

 **Size:** 50 meters tall, extremely large and tanky.

 **Description:** A massive mushroom-like construct, towering over even a Goliath, it is often slow and stumbling, though it has shown signs of quick speeds should the need arise. It constantly emits a cloud of mushroom spores, which it can shut off any time it wants, and those that fall victim to the cloud of spores become it's Puppets, to use and fight as it pleases. It's flesh is capable of taking Dust-powered artillery with only a few scratches, with the exception of Fire Dust, and it shows that it is capable of rapid 'evolution' to match a combat situation. Such evolutions are permanent, and will remain on Mycophobia until it's death, apparently. Despite being visible within a 10 mile radius, no one dares to try to fight it, for fighting it is tantamount to suicide. It is unparalleled among the Grimm for it's intelligence, capable of speaking despite having no facial features, and is known to strategize to adjust to different Hunters.

 **Difficulty:** Impossible to kill, run on sight

 **Attacks:** Unknown, it has never directly fought Hunters before

 **Weaknesses:** Fire Dust

 **Vulnerable Areas:** Unknown, possibly no weak areas to exploit.

 **Strategies when fighting it:**

Sacrifice your team mates. It will bring you a small amount of time.

Run. As far away as you can get, just run.

If you don't make it, pray it doesn't find you.

If it finds you, commit suicide via a bullet to the head, to spare yourself the pain and agony of being it's Puppet.

 **Unique Skills:**

- **Mushroom Spores:** It emits a cloud of mushroom spores tat may subject any affected by it to become Mycophobia's Puppet

- **Assimilation:** Is capable of assimilating organic beings to add to it's plethora of knowledge

- **Hive Mind Administrator:** Anyone affected by it's spores will join a hive mind commandeered by Mycophobia, which is how it commands it's Puppets to fight and communicates with them

- **Rapid Forced Evolution:** It is capable of forcing itself to evolve should the need arise, in order to adjust to a difficult fight. This causes permanent changes to Mycophobia.

- **Flower Buds:** Unknown

- **Superior Intelligence:** One of the many things that give Mycophobia it's rank. Mycophobia is capable of communicating and understanding human language, and can plan strategies and tactics, making it extremely dangerous to fight. However, it has shown signs of cockiness, preferring to fight when it can easily kill Hunters.

- **Mushroom Bullets:** One of it's original attacks, Mycophobia is capable of rapidly growing and shooting mushrooms from it's body, creating a spore-carrying projectile that can create more Puppets should it explode.

 **Rank:** ** _R_**

 _Note: Update this report as soon as possible. Mark Mycophobia as defeated. -Ozpin_

* * *

 **And that's the omake. You're welcome.**

 **With all that out of the way, this is Gold Magikarp signing off! Peace!**


	8. Chapter 7: Aftermath

**Before we begin, I would like to mention that Mycophobia is not inspired by Monster Hunter, Terraria, Bloodborne, or Final Fantasy. Rather, it was a byproduct of something I asked myself: If the Younger Brother created Grimm, and some of the very first Grimm survived, how powerful would they be during RWBY canon time?**

 **First, we must consider the following.**

 **The older a Grimm is, the wiser and more powerful it is.**

 **Goliaths, immensely powerful Grimm not seen in combat, are not nearly as old as the first Grimm.**

 **Not all Grimm are based on animals**

 **And then I thought about what would happen if there was a mushroom Grimm. Mycophobia was the result. Yeah, I probably went overboard with Mycophobia, but yay, short boss fight against a primordial Grimm!**

 **I would like to note that I've never played any of the games I mentioned before, except Final Fantasy.**

 **The poll is still open for Makoto's pairing, so please vote. Please. I beg of you.**

 **With all that out of the way, let's start the chapter!**

* * *

 **This chapter is not done in chronological order.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Aftermath**

* * *

" _Everything you want is on the other side of fear."_

 _-Jack Canfield_

* * *

Ozpin watched the Bullheads patrol the Emerald Forest with weary eyes, taking a sip from his coffee mug and sighing. It had been a full week since the defeat of Mycophobia, and the aftermath was massive.

The mushroom spores that had formed the barrier had drifted all over the Emerald Forest, corrupting the wildlife and infecting Grimm all over the forest. The Valean military was called in to eradicate the spores, and closed off the Emerald Forest, sending troops in hazmat suits to kill infected Grimm and incinerate clusters of airborne spores. One full week, and still, the operation wasn't even a quarter done.

"Headmaster," Came Glynda's voice from behind him, as she entered the room, looking tired and ragged, "The infirmary just sent us a message. The woman from Mycophobia is awake, sir." She was tapping commands on her scroll, having been appointed to spearhead command for the Mycophobia cleanup operation. Operation 'Grocery Run', which Ozpin still swore sounds utterly ridiculous, was probably the biggest military operation Vale would see in the foreseeable future.

"Very well, then..." Ozpin sighed, rubbing his eyes. When his hand left his face, he seemed sharper. More dignified, and confident. Gone was the calm and relaxed man who gave his students advice and helped them with their problems. In place was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, he who held a seat upon the Valean Council, "Glynda, come with me. We're going to the infirmary."

"Yes sir."

The walk to the infirmary was brisk, any student who saw their grim faces quickly fleeing the premises and leaving the two alone. Despite that, whispers and murmurs still followed the duo as they walked, students gossiping as they watched the Headmaster and Headmistress walk by. And why wouldn't they? The Initiation Ceremony had been postponed, something unheard of in Beacon's history. Not only that, but seven people were in the infirmary, and the Valean military had sealed off the Emerald Forest for reasons unknown. Gossip was practically bound to happen now.

"H-Headmaster Ozpin!" The nurse, a brunette by the name of, if he remembered correctly, Charlotte Brown.

"How is she?" Ozpin asked, eyeing the covered medical beds.

"She's fine, sir. Keeps asking where she is, and demanding to talk to you."

"Thank you. Do you mind if you step out for a second? I need to...discuss some more sensitive topics with her about Mycophobia."

"Of course, sir." The nurse hurried out, muttering 'good grief...' under her breath, and Ozpin strolled towards the bed closest to the window. Opening the curtains revealed the woman from Mycophobia sitting up in her bed, her eyes closed. She turned her head at the sound of the curtains rustling, and seemed surprised at Glynda's presence.

"Hm. You brought someone with you." She said, her voice melodic and a bit high-pitched, "I'm surprised. I thought you would come alone."

"That is enough. What are you doing here?"

"Ah-ah-aaaaaah~ Tell me, is she part of your, what was it again, 'inner circle'?~" The woman interuppted. Ozpin didn't answer, and that was enough to make her grin wider, "Good, then. I've wanting to say this for quite a while now."

Her eyes opened. Black sclera with red irises staring at Ozpin, Glynda recoiling in shock.

"It's been a long time, Old Man."

"Likewise," Ozpin replied, "Now tell me...what are you doing here, **Mycophobia**?"

* * *

Summer Rose woke up in a clean-smelling bed behind a white curtains.

Groggily, she sighed, and relaxed, pushing her head into the oh-so-fluffy pillows she had yearned for for 10 years.

And then her mind fully processed the scene in front of here, and her eyes shot open.

She sat up in the bed, and instantly winced, pain racking her body and making her fall back onto the bed. Groaning, she weakly turned her head left and right, trying to assess the situation. What the hell had happened? Her memory was still a bit fuzzy when she was still in the cave. There had been the same ethereal blue glow from the Dust crystals, and then there were footsteps, and-

Oh God.

Oh God, the two teenagers. The ones that had freed her, what the hell had happened to them? Her breath quickened a bit as she thought about the ramifications of what this meant.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the curtains rustling open, and she groaned, her breath steadying and eyes focusing on the people pulling the curtains apart, light shining through and making her eyes ache. Ten years in a dark cave had really changed her eyesight quite a bit.

Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch stepped through, and she couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Headmaster Ozpin..." She rasped, "Long time...no see..."

"Likewise, Miss Rose," Ozpin murmured, concern over his former student in his eyes, "Please, do not move too much. 10 years of not moving has left you with quite a bit of muscle atrophy, and your body is no longer used to so much physical activity."

"The...teenagers...the ones who freed me...where are they?" She asked, weakly lifting herself up a bit. For two teenagers to have managed a somewhat shakily-put-together rescue plan against an R-Rank Grimm was just plain stupid.

Then again, the R-Rank Grimm weren't publicly known to keep the Kingdoms from constantly panicking, so there was that.

"They are fine, Miss Rose. They're currently roaming the academy with their friends." Ozpin smiled disarmingly, but for some reason, there was still a gnawing feeling in Summer's stomach, a tightness in her heart that told her something was still wrong. And she always trusted her gut feelings.

"Headmaster Ozpin...where is Mycophobia?" Ozpin paused, visibly hesitating.

"A-Ah...well, you see, about that-"

"Headmaster, I've spent ...at least 15 years dealing Qrow and...his compulsive lying, and he is the...second-best damn liar I've ever know. No offense, sir, but you'r," She paused to cough a bit, clearing her throat, "you're certainly not...the best." Ozpin paused, then chuckled to himself. Summer had always been extremely blunt, even back in her Beacon years. She always did speak up quite a bit when someone's opinions clashed with hers.

"Very well..." Ozpin said hesitantly, "Mycophobia is...defeated. Put out of commission while you were unconscious."

"...You're joking,"Summer forced out a few laughs, trying to convince herself, before noticing Ozpin's serious face, the cold indifference in his eyes, "...Oh dear Brothers, you're not...joking. H-How. Who defeated Mycophobia?"

The look on his face was enough to convince her that it was a completely ludicrous answer, and she probably wouldn't believe him. But she still had to find out. Mycophobia was dead. She needed to find out who was powerful and skilled enough to take down one of the few R-Rank Grimm there was.

"It...it was..." Ozpin looked around, and closed the curtains. Lowering his voice, he quietly told her exactly who managed to beat Mycophobia.

She would swear that, to this day, she legitimately thought Ozpin was messing with her.

* * *

Junko Enoshima opened her eyes to a white ceiling, the smell of medication, and the feeling of a comfortable bed and clean-smelling pillows.

'I'm in an infirmary,' She thought to herself, and weakly sat up, groaning as her body seemed to ache in pain from the fight-

The fight.

Oh God, the fight. They had managed to kill that damn mushroom Grimm thing, and that weird-looking woman had popped out of the flower bud, and...and...

She had blacked out. What the hell had happened after that?

Ignoring the aches of pain from her body, she struggled to sit up, groaning. The last thing she remembered was seeing Bullheads flying in the distance, and everything going black. Where was that Grimm thing? Where was the woman she and Kin had found?

…..Where was Kin?

 _Where was Kin?_

"Kin?" She called, rising from her bed, and hobbling around, using the bed as support as she left the closed-off space, pulling the curtains apart, her body protesting the entire time. True to her talent, she was in a large infirmary stocked with medications, and medical charts. Six other spaces were closed off, though there was a groan from the one two beds down from her.

"...J'nko..." The voice rasped, and Junko perked up, stumbling to the 'booth' and opening the curtains, where Kin laid, sleeping, but clearly sweating a bit.

"Kin!" She staggered to the bed, groaning. Taking a seat with one of the chairs by the bed, Junko sighed and put a hand on Kin's forehead. It felt...hot, but he didn't seem to be sick. Hell, he seemed perfectly fine, and nightmares wouldn't cause him to burn up. Hesitating, she smiled and brushed her hand through Kin's hair, causing him to smile gently, "...You're gonna be the death of me one day..."

"Junko." The word didn't come from Kin's mouth, but rather, behind her, and she bristled. She had been having a _moment_ , dammit.

"... _Naegi_." In a cold tone, not having bothered to say any insults about hope. That was what truly scared him, as evident by his pause and shaky gasp before he composed himself, "What do you want?"

"...Who is Kin? To you, who is sh-er, he?"

"Why do you want to know?" The tone in her voice was laced with venom, and she turned to glare at Makoto, her eyes cold and dead. It was evident that she wanted Makoto to drop it, or else she would retaliate. Violently.

"...Fine. I won't ask." Makoto looked at the other spaces, "Kin's the only one to not have woken up yet. Sayaka and Mukuro are out there, talking with the headmaster. The woman from that mushroom thing is oddly closed off, so only staff can see her, and the white-cloaked woman is resting in her bed."

"And why should I care?" Junko had turned away, continuing to brush her hair through Kin's hair, smiling softly, "They're worthless. Predictable as all hell, and easy to beat." The hitch in her breath, barely noticeable, quickly disappeared.

"...Only wanted to let you know. I'm going to go speak with the headmaster. You better not hurt another innocent person, Junko. Not like how you hurt your own sister," Makoto drawled, taking a cheap shot at Junko and Kin's odd relationship as he walked out. She gritted her teeth, but eventually let it go. He was a vicious person when he wanted to be. But she had plans, plans she needed Class 78 for.

She wasn't going to hurt Makoto and the rest of that worthless class. Not yet.

* * *

Summer wheeled herself along the hallways of Beacon, having been given permission by Ozpin to do so while students were in class. After all, it would be hard to explain why a mysterious woman in a white cloak was in a school full of Hunters-in-training. It would also be hard to explain who she really was, and what she was doing here. Most of the students had seen the fight with Mycophobia a week ago, the staff didn't need more questions being asked than right now.

As she wheeled herself forwards, she heard murmurs coming from the various empty classrooms, and couldn't help but want to listen. It was...part of her personality, she guessed. She always liked gossip and rumors, listening from up the grapevine about the hottest trends or what happened with who. As such, her Semblance allowed her to produce thorny vines from her body, which she could use to 'connect' with other people or beings and learn everything about them. She could even suppress their thoughts and keep them unconscious. It was how she managed to keep Mycophobia sealed for so long, while using her Aura to keep mushroom spores from infecting her.

"...Yeah, that weird mushroom thing just burnt down and stuff. It was laughing, though..." One of the voices said, clearly talking to someone else, "And after that, Headmaster Ozpin cancels the ceremony? Something's going on. Something big."

"I for one, think that we should leave this to the staff. The Grimm was clearly too powerful for us, and someone sent in a Hunter to deal with it. What worries me the most if how it was able to communicate. Everyone heard it speak, and I presume that there are videos circulating around the CCT at this very moment. That Grimm...there was none other like it in the world. Just thinking about it frightens me."

"And the infirmary was closed off..." The voice sounded oddly familiar and tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't really place where she had heard it from, "I saw them wheeling stretchers in there. Never heard of this happening before, and even the seniors never knew Initiation could be stopped. The staff seemed so serious, too. Like they were preparing for war or something. Even Ozpin looked like the end of the world was announced or something."

There was a brief silence.

"...What Rank was that Grimm? It looked too strong to be any of the regular ones, and it didn't look like a normal S-rank Grimm either." That voice not only sounded familiar, but seemed to tug at her heartstrings, her grip on the wheelchair tightening, "I'm...scared. Just looking at it scared me, and I don't want to think about actually fighting that Grimm..." The voice turned shaky, and Summer wanted nothing more than to wheel inside and comfort whoever was speaking right now, "J-Just thinking about it dying...scares me. Even when it was b-burning up and just blackening, it wouldn't stop laughing, and it sounded so happy, that somebody had killed it..." There was a shuddering breath, and the sound of movement.

"It's fine, Sis...That thing's gone, and never coming back. You're fine..." The first voice she felt was familiar, was comforting the second voice, and the soft sound of of a hand patting someone's back.

Sometimes, there were times when Summer hated her profession causing her senses to skyrocket after combat. Being a Hunter, one had to be forever aware of any signs of an attacks. Paranoia often led to a passive Aura boost to a Hunter's five senses, enhancing them to the point where sometimes, you could hear the slightest rustle of a blade of grass five meters away from you.

It was...annoying sometimes, to be honest.

"Tell you what, I'll go get some cookies for you. Strawberry and chocolate chip cookies, your favorite~" Before Summer could do anything, there were quick footsteps, andthe ballroom door opened, a girl with long, luscious blonde hair walking out, seeing Summer...and freezing.

Summer froze as well. Who wouldn't, when they saw their own daughter, 10 years older than she last remembered?

"M-Mom?" Yang Xiao-Long, her little baby Sun Dragon, stuttered out, her hands shaking. Summer gulped, and hesitantly waved at the blonde bruiser, who reached out, and touched Summer's face gently, as if she was an illusion, something that would disappear with the slightest disturbance, a choked gasp rising from her mouth, "Y-You're real. You're _really here_."

Tears welled up in the two's eyes as Summer nodded, ten years' worth of repressed sadness and lonely desperation bubbling up in her throat as she choked back a sob, "I'm here, Yang. Sorry it took so long."

"Yang?" The voice, who she recognized now as _Ruby_ , said, as the girl walked up behind her, "Why are you still at the-"

She saw Summer, and froze. Her silver eyes grew wide and watery as she took in the sight of her mother, thought to be deceased.

"Ruby..." Summer muttered out, "Oh, Ruby...My precious little gem..." Tears welled up in Ruby's eyes, as she took a shaky step forwards.

"M-Mama...Mama..." Ruby choked out, before she broke into a run, and glomped Summer, sobbing, the white-cloaked Huntress hugging her daughter back. Seeing a still-frozen Yang standing there, not sure what to do, Summer smiled and gestured for her to join. She hugged the two, squeezing Summer and Ruby like lifelines and weeping.

"I'm back," Summer whispered, stroking the two's heads, tears leaking from her eyes, "I'm finally back..."

And after ten years of pain and suffering and agony and embodied _wrong_ , Summer Rose finally reunited with her family.

* * *

Leon Kuwata paced back and forth, his hands running through his head as he waited.

Behind him, in various positions, the rest of Class 78 was seated, waiting anxiously in the Headmaster's Tower.

It was understandable, really. With five of the students-to-be who were unconscious from fighting that thing, and the Valean military being brought in to deal with the remnants of it's influence, they had been called up to tell the Headmaster about what had happened.

Of course, the fact that the faculty would glance at them every now and then before they were called up spoke volumes. Ozpin was suspicious of something, but they didn't know what. They weren't even in the student body yet, so what he was suspicious about must have had something to do with their profiles. It was the most logical problem.

"Gaaaaaah! I can't wait anymore! Where is he?!" Leon yelled, gripping his hair, "We've been waiting for half an hour now!"

"Calm down, man. Screaming and ranting ain't gonna get us shit." Mondo replied, gnawing on a nail, "I want him to hurry up, too, but this ain't how it works."

"...I get that, man." Leon sighed, running a hand down his face, "I'm just so tired of this waiting. Sayaka and the others are still unconscious as far as we know, we have the fucking military running around the goddamn forest, and the headmaster's suspicious of us for who knows what!"

"I understand that, Kuwata-dono. But no matter what we do, we can only wait until Ozpin-dono and Goodwitch-dono have finished their business and come to meet us." Hifumi said with a grim tone, though he seemed to be anxious as well.

The elevator doors opened at that moment, everyone turning their heads as Ozpin and Goodwitch walked into view. Any sign of relaxation or generosity was gone, replaced with steel and power, brimming beneath the facades of impassive apathy.

The headmaster and headmistress of Beacon Academy had arrived, and Leon couldn't help but shiver at the cold aura the two exuded.

"Ah! Good morning, Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch!" Ishimaru bowed as he spoke, ever the prefect he was in Hope's Peak.

"Hello, Mr. Ishimaru. Please, you do not have to bow to me," Ozpin sounded tired, like he didn't want to remind Ishimaru of such. Perfectly understandable, seeing as every time Ishimaru saw a staff member, he would bow and greet them. It was a bit unnerving for the faculty to see such a young man showing them that much respect, "Please, sit. I would like to speak with you all about something."

The sudden change in his voice, from tired to stern and cold, prompted everyone to sit down. Something was up.

"Now, I assume you've all seen the giant mushroom Grimm's demise when we were...erm, recovering your friends from the aftermath," Leon swore that he heard Ozpin mumble 'Still not sure how you kids did it', "And I'm fairly certain that you have questions about that Grimm. I am willing to answer any questions about it, so long as you answer some questions from me in return. You ask me one, I ask you one, similar to Twenty Questions."

Everyone nodded. It seemed like a reasonable request, "We go first, I guess. That...thing, that we fought. What the hell was that?" Leon asked, getting a shiver over the memory of it's maddening laughter. Being up close and hearing it's laughter just fill your head until there was nothing but that single noise...he might need a therapist in the future.

"That... _thing_ , was a Grimm. Specifically, it was an R-Rank Grimm, or to put it in layman's terms, a Grimm redacted from public knowledge, and discussed by only those that know of it, the political leaders and Councilors of the Four Kingdoms, and the most elite of soldiers." Ozpin shot Leon a dry look, "Judging from your experience last week, I presume you understand why we must make sure the public does not know of the R-Rank."

"Y-Yeah..." If the public knew R-Rank Grimm existed, the fear and negativity generated by them would be off the charts. The Four Kingdoms would practically become beacons for the Grimm!...Huh. Sounded a bit ironic, now that he thought about it.

"Very well. It is my turn ask. Where did you learn to battle? Your transcripts, ALL of your transcripts, do not mention attending any combat schools, yet you fight so naturally." Ozpin asked, his gaze turning sharp. To be fair, they didn't know what combat schools would work, nor did they know if the schools would check, so they really just put "N/A" there.

"Sir, we're...self-taught, I suppose. We trained each other with unorthodox methods, and we found ways to incorporate what we were best at into our fighting styles. We didn't really have a choice, we were...inexperienced, in a way." Byakuya replied, crossing his arms, "If we wanted to get into this school, we would need to train ourselves to acceptable levels by any means possible."

"Hm." Ozpin only hummed, nodding.

"Will you expel us, knowing this? We've basically admitted that we have no official combat experience, something essential for acceptance into Beacon." Celestia asked, her face a stoic mask, "By all means, we should be imprisoned, according to the Valean Accords."

"Hmmmmm...I suppose not."

"Wha-"

"Please, let me finish." Ozpin held up a hand, waiting until they fully quieted down, "While you are not officially trained, you have all shown exceptional combat skills fighting Myc—the Grimm, and rescued a long thought to be dead Huntress in impossible odds. Though there may be some complications in the ceremony, I believe you all belong in Beacon." He smiled a cold smile, one that that didn't truly reach his eyes, "However, you will be closely monitored by the staff. I'm sure you understand why."

"Of course, Headmaster!" Ishimaru replied, bowing.

"Thank you, Mr. Ishimaru. As for my next question..." Ozpin paused, deep in thought, before continuing, "What do you hope to gain from Beacon's curriculum? You have all shown exceptional combat skills that far surpass the students here without using your Semblances, and a teamwork that is already better than most Fourth-Years, yet you choose to stay and attend all classes. It is...confusing, to say the least."

"I can answer that." Celeste replied, "Even with our skills in combat and teamwork, we still are not proper Hunters, and wish to change that. The only possible way is to graduate from a Hunting Academy and get a license, and Beacon is the most prestigious Hunting Academy in the Four Kingdoms. So if we were to obtain a license from Beacon..."

"You would seem more reliable and be called for more missions. Understandable." Ozpin concluded, "I see the logic behind such a decision."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Celeste bowed.

"I will have to make the next two questions the last. There are preparations to be made for the Naming Ceremony, and I still have a military operation to aid in. My last question will have to be...'Why Hunting?""

"...What?"

"Do not presume that we do not have records of our students' pastimes. It is a way we attempt to mitigate any bullying and such. The staff know of your immense talents in specific fields. We know of Mr. Kuwara's baseball records, Ms. Ludenburg's gambling fortune, Ms. Maizono's volunteer work as a small-time idol, and the rest of your talents. If you had stuck with them, you would have fame and fortune eating out of your palm. So why hunting? Why abandon the easy way in life?"

The room was silent at that. Everyone seemed deep in thought, before simultaneously shrugging.

"I...guess we just wanted to put some effort into the things we did." Leon tried. It wasn't much of an answer, but Ozpin nodded, as if accepting it.

"Thank you. Now, please, head to the amphitheater. The ceremony should start shortly, and I do not want you to be late to such an important event." They nodded, quickly heading to the elevator and entering. A simple press of a button, and the doors closed, the conversation disappearing from their minds.

All except for two people, of course.

* * *

"...And finally, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao-Long. By retreiving the white knight pieces, you have proven yourself to be capable huntresses-in-training, and will, from this day forward, will work together as Team RWBY!" Ozpin proclaimed, to the cheers of multiple students, as the four girls stood proud, "Led by...Ruby Rose!"

If one listened closely, they would hear that someone screamed, "That's my baby girl!"

When the applause died down, Ozpin cleared his throat, "Now, before you are dismissed, we have two very important announcements to make. Firstly, we would like to announce the new professor here at Beacon, Miss Bianca Armilladina! She will lead the new Field Survival course as the teacher!" There was a smattering of polite clapping as the woman from Mycophobia, dressed exactly as she was from before, but with a black veil covering the upper part of her face, bowed.

"The second announcement regards the seventeen extremely talented teenagers who are still left. They, unfortunately, were unable to obtain pieces and pass, but...with their circumstances, we here at Beacon feel that they are very rareexceptions.

"Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Mondo Oowada, Chihiro Fujisaki, and Yasuhiro Hagakure. In being the primary defense against hordes of Grimm to protect a single woman, who you did not even know, you have far more than proven that you belong here. From this day forward, you will work as Task Force Aegis. I hope that in our time of need, you will be the shield that will defend Remnant from the darkness.

"Leon Kuwata, Kyoko Kirigiri, Aoi Asahina, Sakura Ogami. In being the primary offense against the hordes of Grimm, and successfully defeating countless Grimm without tiring, you have shown that you have the power needed to become Hunters. From this day forward, you will work as Task Force Longinus. I hope that in our time of need, you will be the spear that pierces through all Grimm and carves a path towards the future.

"Hifumi Yamada, and Celeste Ludenberg, Byakuya Togami, and Toko Fukawa. In being the lynchpin that commanded the rest when you were separated, you have shown that you have the teamwork, unlikely that it may be, to needed to become Hunters. From this day forward, you will work as Task Force Commandant. I hope that in our time of need, you will be the voice of the people and strive to build a better world.

"And finally Makoto Naegi, Junko Enoshima, Mukuro Ikasuba, Sayaka Maizono, and Kin Sakana. This is...an odd situation, to say the least. Never before have we had someone who has been able to make eye contact with two different people who did not have partners yet. Nonetheless, Junko Enoshima has made eye contact with both Makoto Naegi and Kin Sakana when they had partners, and will have them as partners for her four years at Beacon," Ozpin concluded, to the murmurs of the student body, before clearing his throat and silencing the students,.

"I was not done. Now, for your achievements in not only dealing the final blow to the Grimm anomaly sighted in the Emerald Forest, but escorting and rescuing famed Huntress Summer Rose from the Grimm anomaly," There was a joyous squeak from nearby, as Ruby Rose watched the five with adoring eyes, "Traversing the whole of the Emerald Forest to do so, you have shown that you possess the strength, perseverance, teamwork, and dedication to become Hunters. From this day forwards, you will be working as Task Force Elpis. It is my only regret that I can not make you official Hunters here and now." Ozpin flourished at the seventeen students gathered on the stage, and the audience cheered.

"A big hand for Beacon's first four Task Forces!"

* * *

"What are you doing here, Mycophobia?"

Glynda's reaction was instantaneous. Her riding crop practically materialized into her hand, which she snapped up at the 'woman' in front of her.

Only to be stopped by Ozpin, who held up his hand, a grim look on his face, "Stop, Glynda. You do not stand a chance against her, even now."

"But Headmaster-"

" _Enough,_ Glynda." Ozpin turned back to the smug humanoid Grimm watching them, glaring, "Like I asked. What are you doing here, Mycophobia?"

"Oh, come now, Ozpin. You know as well as I do that you could have stopped the staff from bringing me into the school, let alone the infirmary. I should be asking you why you've let me stay here." Ozpin's mouth tightened, and she dismissively waved her hand, "Don't worry, I won't hurt your students. Lord knows how you'll react if I do."

"Get to the point," He ground out. Mycophobia waved her hand dismissively.

"Fine, fine...Salem's making her move, Ozpin."

The silence was deafening.

"H-How did you-"

"Despite what you think, Ozpin, I am still capable of learning everything that has been going on," She chuckled, "Though, ten years... Quite a bit has happened that I've missed."

"You, I don't, why help us against the Grimm? Against Salem?" Glynda asked, a confused expression on her face at the _humanoid Grimm_ offering information on their greatest enemy.

"You do not seem to understand. I am not on the side of humanity. I am on the side of life, of evolution. What happens to humanity is of no concern to me, but what Salem wants...There is no life in her wishes. There is only her, her subjects, and..." She trailed off, giving Ozpin a glance, before continuing, "Regardless, what she wants does not suit with what _I_ want. Coincidentally, your wants do. So, I am offering you my help. Having one of the First aiding you will surely boost your chances of success. Or you can just run around like headless chickens and guess about everything you do from here on out."

Ozpin's hands clenched into fists, his teeth gritting. Loathe as he wanted to admit it, she was right. They were in the dark against Salem, and one of the First Grimm offering their aid would be a massive boon for their efforts. At the same time, this was one of the First Grimm they were talking about! One of the few Primordial Grimm, and an R-Rank at that! Who knew what they could do?! He had an inkling of an idea, but it would be impossible with her status as a Grimm.

"...I have a way," Ozpin replied, to Glynda's shock, but he ignored her and continued, "But with your status as a Grimm, it won't work."

"...I need Aura, don't I?" She asked, and he nodded. She sighed, and held up a hand, a distorted grey light shining from her hand.

"W-What?!"

"I've been draining humans of their memories and souls since my birth, you two. Did you really think I would not change when I've been essentially stockpiling human Aura for so long?"

Ozpin could only nod, sighing, "Follow me. We'll have to do...paperwork."

The three shuddered in unison.

"...How do you-"

"Not all the memories I absorbed were about combat. I don't like to talk about it."

"...OK, then."

* * *

 **A/N: Pain. Pain and agony and suffering. It took me so long just to write this one chapter, because of fucking life and fucking writer's block. College applications, writer's block, high school, all three are tough on my writing on their own, but then they decided to fucking gang up on me and beat my inspiration into a bloody pulp.**

 **As a result, take my (in my opinion) shit-quality chapter that took me fucking 3 months minimum to write. I did my best. Just _take it_.**

 **So, in RWBY, Salem Emerald (honestly, Wizard of Oz, Emerald City? How has no one thought of this yet?) is a humanoid Grimm, capable of controlling and creating Grimm, and extremely intelligent and cunning. I would reveal more, but spoilers.**

 **In my story? She's not the only one.**

 **Meet Bianca Armilladina, or Mycophobia. One of the first Grimm ever, and an R-Rank Grimm as well as s 'Phobia', she's seen everything humanity has done and is doing, and a possible Remnant-ending destroyer who's potential was downgraded by her obsession with evolution and her insanity. Millennia of living and experience have left her with a plethora of knowledge, immeasurable power and skill, and, of all the impossible things to have, a soul. It's formed from fragments of humans she has assimilated into a single, somehow functional soul, but it gifts her Aura, a Semblance, and emotions. In other words, she's super OP, even more OP in her weakened human form somehow, and I may have gone overboard with her. The pinnacle of evolution for a Grimm, everyone. She's mostly gonna be a minor character, so don't worry about her. I guess.**

 **But yeah, happy endings for everyone, yay! Except Ozpin. Ozpin never gets a happy ending. It's like he runs on angst and cryptic actions. Also, no reactions this chapter, because it's only the aftermath. They'll be back, soon. The Brothers are also acting differently from their canon counterparts! What a surprise! They can't possibly have ulterior motives to buttering up Class 78 and sending to Remnant, right? Right?**

 **Who are we kidding, yes they do. They're fucking asshats who don't deserve to exist, after all.**

 **On another note, I gave up on colors, and just gave the teams special names and a special status. I mean, they defeated a super-Grimm, the least they could do is be designated as better than, well, most of the students. The Task Force thing lets others know that were it not for their young age, they would immediately be added to the active duty roster as top Hunters. Yay, Class 78 is a bunch of super strong pseudo-child soldiers now (Gods help us all). And I decided to get the Summer meets Ruby and Yang thing out of the way. Don't want any tension hanging around about Summer's 'reappearance', so that's all out of the way. In other news, Ozpin is suspicious, and Makoto shows that even he can fight back at times. Low blow, though, man. Low blow.**

 **But yeah, that should be everything. Few notes, before this chapter ends.**

 **First, PLEASE VOTE ON THE PAIRING POLL GODAMMIT.**

 **Second, submit ideas of what you thought Class 78's weapons should have been!**

 **And last but not least, Should Junko make a Monokuma unit as a backup weapon? Poll will appear for that, so vote when it pops up!**

 **With all that out of the way, this is Gold Magikarp signing out! Peace!**


	9. Chapter 8: Bitter Pills

**Edit: Just a little update to straighten out the formatting. Carry on, folks.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Bitter Pills**

* * *

" _During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."_

 _-George Orwell_

* * *

It was approximately 6 A.M. When Mukuro woke up, her soldier instincts practically screaming at her to wake up. With no choice but to awaken, her soft yawning stirred Junko up, who grumpily hugged Mukuro and dragged her down, using her as a body pillow. The rustling of the sheets woke up light sleeper Sayaka, who watched the two interact with both anger and amusement...Yeah, she was still angry about the whole despair thing.

So now the three girls of Task Force Elpis were awake three hours before class, and Junko was especially grumpy for waking up at such an early hour. None of them has anything to do, and much stuff to unpack. But, to them, the act of cuddling with their respective love interests was...well, tempting, to say the least.

Which led to their current status.

"Piss off, American Idol wannabe. I'm gonna cuddle with him," Mukuro hissed, swiping at Sayaka, who was trying to push her away from Makoto, the two fighting over who would get to...well, no way to sugarcoat it. They were fighting over who would use him as a body pillow.

"Screw you, Despair Sister. I called dibs," Sayaka whispered angrily, not wanting to make Makoto up. The two quietly bickered as they each tried to cling to the Ultimate Hope.

"Just one of you take one of his sides. And be quiet, I'm trying to enjoy my hug time," Junko whisper-shouted, clinging onto Kin like a body pillow. The two paused in this, then quickly complied, wriggling under Makoto's blanket eagerly, "Gods, they have it bad for him..."

"Yeah, they really do~," a small voice crooned in her ear, and she froze, paling, "Seems familiar to me, you know?~"

"H-How long have you been-"

"Oh, just long enough to hear them arguing. Faunus enhanced hearing and all that. So, mind telling me what you're doing in my bed, or do you wanna stay like this?"

"I, I, wait what." Junko stammered, before mentally pausing. Kin shrugged.

"I'm not going to say no to cuddling with a model, you know~"

And so Junko spent quite a bit of time embarrassed and cuddling with a very, _very_ smug Kin. She didn't know how to feel about that. She also tried to blatantly ignore the amused looks Sayaka and Mukuro were giving her as they hugged Makoto on either side.

This was all part of her plan, she told herself, this was part of the plan and she wasn't lying to herself. No matter what her brain told her.

That was the one thing she kept telling herself as she went back to sleep

* * *

It was 8 o' clock when Makoto finally woke up, to see a strangely happy Sayaka and Mukuro decorating their parts of the room, Mukuro with posters for rock bands and her old dog tags, while Sayaka put up posters of local idol groups and a few of her merchandise items, which fans had actually made to sell for her. He had actually been planning to decorate as well, but as he moved to do so, he paused at the sight of Junko Enoshima in Kin's bed, _cuddling with Kin in her sleep,_ _ **and smiling**_ _._

God, that was so weird to see.

Yawning, he waved at the girls, and quickly headed into the bathroom to freshen up, brushing his teeth and washing his face before coming out. Optimistic about today, he quickly unpacked his stuff and began decorating his room with motivational posters, a few lucky charms, and his old green hoodie, which he kept with him. For sentimental reasons.

When the trio finished, they all stared at the slightly snoring fashionista, curled up to an equally asleep Kin, and looked at each other.

"Should we..." Sayaka trailed off, just gesturing at the sleeping duo, and Makoto shook his head.

"I really don't want to risk it. Please don't."

* * *

Everyone was officially awake by 7:30, and spent some time decorating their part of the room, before getting ready for the day. They headed down to the cafeteria (though for some reason Kin looked wary of something when they arrived), and all grabbed various foodstuffs from the counters that the chefs had prepared for them, sitting at a nearby window table as students started to file in. Soon, Ishumaru, Mondo, Chihiro, and Hagakure came in as well, grabbing food and sitting next to them.

"Naegi-san! It is good to see you awake at this early a time," Ishimaru borderline shouted, exuberant, "I suppose you are also ready for our first day at Beacon?"

"Of course, Ishimaru-san. But please, not so loud. I don't think the students actually like that." Ishimaru paused and looked around, where a small group of red-eyed students were giving him angry, pained looks, Kin included, and immediately quieted down, "I see. My apologies, then."

One by one, students began to trickle into the cafeteria, tired and still half-asleep as they all grabbed food. Soon, the rest of Class 78 trudged in, and Kin, tired as he was, beamed at the sight of them walking towards the table with various breakfasts. While the more athletic people, and the ones who paid attention to their appearance, grabbed healthy things like fruit salad and light breakfasts, the others focused on heavier, more protein-filled or fattening food, like bacon, chicken and waffles, and omelettes filled with cheese and meat.

"Those are the rest of your classmates, Junko?" He asked, still a bit drowsy as he nursed his cup of warm coffee, tired eyes gazing at them blearily while he ate one of his beloved waffles with chocolate syrup.

"Yep yep. I've been wanting to introduce you to them for a while now, but I've never really had the time to." Junko replied, popping a bite of scrambled eggs into her mouth and chewing contemplatively, "I mean, we're all going to run into each other sooner or later, might as well get to know each other now, and all that jazz."

"Nice. So, what do we have first period?" The Koi Faunus, asked, glancing at Junko as the two ate, unaware of how in shock everyone around them seemed to be at the sight of Junko fucking Enoshima acting so normal around Kin.

"Hmmmmm...Apparently, we have this Grimm Studies thing with...Professor Portly?"

"Professor Port, Enoshima-san." Ishimaru proclaimed, at a more reasonable tone, "I will not have you mess up a teacher's name." The fashionista just rolled her eyes, before nodding.

"Port, huh? Yeesh. I heard rumors about how he could put you to sleep by telling one of his boring stories," Kin grumbled, oblivious to the stunned expressions around him, "I'm legitimately terrified of what he can do."

"A-Ah, no need to worry about it, man," Mondo, who had sat down a good foot away, but was still close enough to listen, said, "I'm sure he's fine at teaching. He's gotta be pretty good at what he does if he teaches here."

"It's actually pretty odd,"Asahina piped up, "I heard some of the fourth years yesterday talking about how good he was, but the second years keep saying he's a horrible teacher. As in, all of them. It's kinda weird." There were only shrugs around the table as everyone contemplated Asahina's words.

"Well, only way to find out what he's like is to go to his classes," Leon mumbled around a mouthful of cantaloupe, "And we should hurry, too. Classes start in an hour, and we all need to change into our uniforms and find the class."

"We can take our time, guys. What's the worst that can happen?" Leon answered, shrugging as he ate.

* * *

"That, Leon. That is how it could get worse." Junko grumbled as she flopped into a seat in Port's classroom. The aforementioned baseball star only groaned from the seat directly below hers, too tired and drowsy to argue.

After Leon had basically screamed at fate to screw them over, the cafeteria doors had banged open, and Asahina and Junko had paled at the sight of Nora walking in, and spotting Kin, the Koi Faunus doing the same with the hammer wielder.

Amongst the growing chatter of the students, there was an underlying pregnant silence as the two rivals(?) simply watched each other. Then Kin slowly, deliberately ate a bite of his waffle, looking Nora in the eyes, and swallowing.

Almost immediately, Nora lunged at Kin, only to be held back at Ren as she screamed bloody murder, while Kin just watched with a smug grin, eating his waffles as everyone else, bar Junko, Aoi, and Sakura wondered why the ginger-haired girl was screaming angrily at them. There was a few flashes of sudden electricity from who knew where, before Nora broke out of Ren's grip and charged at Kin, who immediately set down his fork, tensing up. As Nora spear tackled Kin, the two rolling around clawing and legitimately hissing at each other, Ren rushed over, his two team mates not far behind. In the meantime, Mondo had tried to pry the two apart, Ishimaru helping as he named the various punishments that would occur from this.

"I am so sorry about this," Ren apologized to them as he arrived, "Nora is...not fond, of people who like waffles more than pancakes."

"THEY'RE HERETICS, REN! HERETICS!" Nora yelled from the ground, before yelping as Kin yanked her hair.

"You're the heretic, bitch!"

Ignoring the ongoing argument as 'Ren's' teammates tried to join in, the black-haired boy sighed, "Like I said, I'm very sorry."

"No need to worry about it. Makoto Naegi," Makoto answered, holding out his hand, which Ren shook.

"Lie Ren. We saw the announcements about the Task Forces yesterday. It's...pretty amazing seeing you and your friends. You've made Beacon history." Makoto nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"I-It's really not much. We just did what any Hunter would do. Saving people and fighting the Grimm is what we'll do one day, you know?" He tried, Ren's smile growing just a tiny bit.

"Exactly. Doing such in the face of such a foe...I can see that you will go far." The shrieks behind them grew, and Ren winced, "Excuse me. I should go help them separate the two."

After the two had been separated, though they sent the rest of breakfast glaring at each other, each quickly finished eating and headed back to their own rooms, dressing in the outfits and heading towards what they thought was Port's class. Except they had ended up in Oobleck's class, who had pointed out that Port was on the other side of the building and they had ten minutes to get there. They made it in time, but most of them were too exhausted to really pay attention, bar Ishimaru. Leon, ironically, was one of the more tired ones. They had thought that Port's class would be educational at the very least.

Instead, the fat man had launched into an obscurely long story not related to the class, which nearly put them all to sleep. Even Ishimaru, perfectionist prefect that he was, was struggling to keep his eyes open. Port was just that boring

As she struggled to stay awake, her analytic mind caught something odd in the teacher's story, however, and she immediately opened her notebook and began jotting it down. As time went on, she found more and more underlying lessons hidden from the naked eye, which she quickly wrote, eagerly absorbing the revealed knowledge like a sponge. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that both Kin and Mukuro had spotted the hidden tidbits of info as well as well. Huh. It was kinda surprising, considering her _dumb sister_. She tried not to act out in front of Kin, though, abruptly blushing as she tried to ignore what he had done with her this morning.

 _'It'sonlybecauseI'mamodelhewouldn'tpassitupwhywouldheafterallImjustthatbeautifulahahahaha'_ Her thoughts were just following a single line at this point, but she shook her head and continued copying. Noting that the three were the only ones taking notes, she had to wonder if this was part of Port's teaching curriculum.

"In conclusion, a true Hunter must be honorable!" Junko rolled her eyes at this, a small growl behind her, "A true Hunter must be dependable!" There was the insistent tapping of a pencil from the same person who growled, "A true Hunter must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So _who_ among you believes themselves to be the _embodiment_ of these traits?"

"I do, sir!" The cause of all the noise behind her, cried. A girl with white hair and snow-white skin stromed down the stairs, fury in her eyes. Next to her, Byakuya made a 'tsk'.

"Weiss Schnee...to go down there and fight while angered, she will surely make mistakes because of this." Junko perked up, intrigued at what he said as she watched the girl leave the room to change into her combat uniform, quickly coming back with her rapier as well.

"Wait, you _know_ that white-haired brat?"

"If I do, why would I tell you more? All you need to know is that she and I are familiar with each other." Junko began to smile, before Byakuya cut her thoughts off, "Don't even think about spreading rumors, Enoshima."

"Phooey." The two were interrupted as Port cut the lock off of a large cage and opened the door. A Boarbatusk burst from the cage, snorting and squealing angrily as it glared at Weiss, pawing at the ground as it readied to charge at the heiress.

'A Boarbatusk in the classroom?! What is this lunatic doing?!' Byakuya whisper-shouted, his eyes wide as he watched Weiss and the Grimm circle each other. The Boarbatusk seemed...oddly subdued, focusing on Weiss, which was strange. It was almost as if it was intelligent or being ordered to act as such.

'Don't worry. I have a feeling there's more to the old fart than boring stories and reckless lessons. He's a teacher here for a reason. Besides, I learned a few things from his story, you know.' Junko replied, thumbing her notebook, 'As so did two others, not naming names~'

The conversation was interrupted when the Grimm charged, a voice, Ruby's, if Junko remembered correctly, cheering on her teammate, who's eyes narrowed in what was possibly rage.

Oh? How interesting. She made a mental note for later.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby cheered behind Junko, as the fight drew on, Weiss taking an unorthodox stance as she jammed the rapier's blade into the Boarbatusk's skull. As Ruby cheered again, Weiss turning to glare, the Boarbatusk whipped it's head to the right, tearing the rapier out of Weiss' grip and ramming into her, sending her flying back into the desk, the rapier a few feet away from her.

"Weiss! Go for it's belly! There's no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss yelled back, Junko blinking in surprise. Hm. She was definitely furious, and seemed to be targeting Ruby exclusively. Anger at not being the leader of the team? Perhaps an underlying superiority complex of sorts? She'd have to take note of this.

Weiss slid for the rapier as the Boarbatusk leapt into the air, gaining centrifugal force as it spun and repeated the process before it leaped at Weiss. In turn, the heiress activated some sort of cyan glyph, trapping the Grimm while she grabbed the rapier and stabbed upwards into the Grimm's stomach.

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are _indeed_ in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" There was a loud scoff, and Port paused, looking at a scandalized looking Mukuro.

"I could have done better. The amount of time taken could have exposed her allies and bystanders to preventable risk from enemies," The soldier droned, looking uncharacteristically emotional as she said so. It seemed even Mukuro had things that set her off, huh?

"Oh? Very well, then! It's quite fortunate I captured two Grimm rather than one today!" Port replied, laughing jovially as he unveiled a second, larger cage, "Very well, then! Let us see if you can handle thi-um. Miss Ikasuba, what are you doing?"

Mukuro, in face, was slipping into a combat stance, the sign of a knife strapped to her thigh visible, "I'm getting prepared. Ready when you are."

"W-Would you not like to change into your combat uniform?"

"No need. This is fine for me."

Shrugging, Port chopped off the lock, and a juvenile Ursa burst out of the cage, roaring, "Let us see if you can handle thi-oh. Oh my."

While Port was speaking, Mukuro had immediately darted forwards and, in a single smooth movement, unsheathed the knife and slashed the Ursa's throat wide open, the bear Grimm quickly falling over and dissipating into black particles. She brushed her skirt of some dust and sheathed her knife as almost everyone in the classroom gawked at the sight. Port was speechless, his jaw wide open and visibly twitching.

"See? That was far better." Mukuro simply, stretching. The bell rang, just then, and she walked up to her seat, grabbing her bag and leaving the room, the rest of the Task Forces following her, as if unimpressed. In fact Junko immediately began talking with Mukuro as they left, Mondo whistling idly as he walked.

The next class for Port found them still frozen, Professor Port still gaping at where the Ursa used to stand. The rumors spread like wildfire afterwards.

* * *

Munakata stared at the screen, his coffe nearly spilled on his lap. Next to him, Juzo hummed contemplatively.

"So that's why we could never catch her." He grumbled, "Stupid super soldier bitch."

* * *

"...Big Sis Mukuro is pretty cool." Masaru hummed, practically vibrating in his seat.

"In-Indeed." Nagisa agreed, partially terrified of such a person, even though she was basically Big Sis Junko's bodyguard. Yeesh.

* * *

"...hear about her..."

"...heard she manged to..."

"Yeah, and the Ursa just..."

"But seriously, how the hell..."

Whispers followed Task Force Elpis as they walked, primarily about Mukuro as they headed for the cafeteria. The soldier, in turn, just ignored the whispers, though Makoto and Sayaka were glancing around a bit. Junko and Kin just kept chatting, ignoring what Junko called 'the boring opinions of the masses'.

"Yeah, Mondo's got this tough exterior on the outside, but he's really just a big softy. You should see him whenever he's around Chihiro, or his dog. Spends so much time just doting on both of them, I swear." Junko made a gagging noise, "But there are times when it just gets a bit too sweet for me."

"Honestly, same here. I have a friend in my hometown, he's tough-looking, like a delinquent and stuff, but he spends so much time doting on his pet puppy. He's super protective, too. Saw one kid trying to hit the puppy, he went apeshit, sent the kid to the hospital." Junko winced.

"Ooh. Yeesh. There are just some things you don't do." Makoto and Sayaka paused to roll their eyes at her words, as they opened the cafeteria doors, the conversations inside grinding to a halt as everyone stared at them.

"...Oh my god, it's really her." The five heard someone mumble as they all headed for the lunch counter, grabbing their meals. Kin and Junko had grabbed light and healthy meals, taking salads and rice bowls with fried tofu and eggs, though Kin had taken a slice of a blood orange galette as well. Makoto had gone for a few slices of beef brisket on top of a rice bed, with a glass of milk, as part of both Sakura and Mukuro's designed diet to help him grow more bone density and muscles for combat, apparently. Sayaka had grabbed a light, balanced meal with rice, salmon teriyaki, tofu, and a fruit salad and some milk (though Kin would give the salmon a disgusted look), and Mukuro took a surprisingly traditional Japanese meal of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled beef slices, and pickled radishes.

"I still can't believe Beacon's chefs are this experienced. I mean, did you see the beef brisket they had in the kitchen?" Kin chirped as he sat with his meal, the rest of the Task Force taking similar seats as they tried to ignored the whispers and glances at them, "And that galette...I'm definitely going back for more~"

"Save some for me, at least. I want to try it later. But in all honesty, I didn't think they would have menus set up for us to look at. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was a buffet."

* * *

Teruteru furiously took notes as he watched the television, noting the various food spread out before the task force, giggling menacingly to himself.

"Shaddup, Teruteru, We're trying to watch them here." Fuyuhiko growled, though he had to wipe his mouth at the sight of the food on the television. A few feet away from him, Mikan was menacingly growling as she repeatedly stabbed a picture of that golden-haired girl Junko-sama had become close to. Kin Sakana, right?

"Kill. Kill hussy. Kiiiiiiiiiill." Mikan ground out, and Fuyuhiko shivered. Well, Mikan probably would be both helpful and a liability if they ever fought her. Ignoring the nurse's fury, the yakuza heir went back to watching the TV.

* * *

"But anyways, as much as you were right, Nee-san, you didn't have to show off like that." Junko drawled, eating a spoonful of rice and egg, while Mukuro blushed at the sudden attention, but remained defiant.

"I stand by what I said. That girl wasted far too much time rolling around and trying to look flashy when she should have been aiming for the eyes. It's obvious." Mukuro retorted, sipping her soup, "Honestly, if she wanted to to put on a show, she should have joined a circus or an actor's troupe." She just continued eating her meal, as if she hadn't viciously torn into a multi-millionaire who could sue her ten thousand times over.

"...Wow. Being inefficient in fights is a real sore spot for you, isn't it?" Junko said. In truth, she had long known of this, but never actually had the chance to use it. Nowadays, however, maybe she could use the inefficient way the students fought to her advantage.

Before Mukuro could answer, however, there was an indignant shriek of 'HOW DARE YOU?!' as Weiss Schnee stormed over, her team trailing behind her, and Kin hid a low gasp of 'oh my gooood.'

Mukuro watched impassively as the Dust heiress stomped towards them, a cold apathy in her eyes while Weiss's held nothing but rage, as she replied, "I stand by what I say, Schnee. If you wanted to play around like a clown, you should have joined the circus, not a Hunting Academy." Weiss' face reddened in rage as she prepared to yell at Mukuro, but an oddly-familiar big-chested blonde stepped in front of Weiss, "Hey, hey, chill, Weiss Cream. No need to get so mad about what she said Just calm down and-"

She looked over. Her eyes met Kin's.

Her hair immediately went ablaze and she gritted out a furious "Yooooooou..." , her hands curling into fists while her irises turned a terrifying blood red.

Kin's eyes only twinkled with a sort-of sadistic mischief as he purred, "Me.~"

The blonde bombshell nearly lunged across the table at the smugfish, were it not for Ruby putting a hand on her shoulder, making her pause.

"Yang?" Ruby asked, her eyes filled with worry as Yang paled, "What do you mean? How do you know him?"

"I, er, well..." Yang faltered in her rage, clearly trying to think of a good excuse as her eyes flickered between lilac and red, before she sighed, "It's a long story..."

"Those two got me out of that cave in the first place," a somewhat familiar voice, though far more energetic and stronger than when they had heard it, came from behind RWBY, and Ruby and Yang perked up as a white-cloaked figure walked up to them, a warm smile on her face, "They were the ones who saved me."

And just like that, their expressions changed. Ruby's became a mixture of amazed shock and endless joy, while Yang's became a contradictory mix of fury and relief. Ruby raced around the table (holy shit, how'd she get there so fast?) and hugged the two of them, jumping in joy while Yang twitched in place, torn between thanking them or beating them to a bloody pulp. It was really amazing how quickly the human mind could change, Junko idly thought, her right eye twitching at the feeling of being hugged, thought she didn't really try to stop Ruby from doing so.

"W-Well, we didn't do it alone," Kin chuckled, blushing from the attention on him. He wriggled his arms out from Ruby's insanely tight grip, and nervously scratched the back of his head, "We had a lot of help, and a LOT of luck on our side."

"Nonsense. A lot of people..." She hesitated a bit, before continuing, "A lot of people were killed by that Grimm, even top-tier Hunters. You kids taking it down, it says a lot about your fighting capabilities." Then, she turned to Yang, her motherly aura (since when did she start emitting that?!) changing to something far more sinister as she smiled at Yang, "So, Yang, how _do_ you know Kin?"

"Oh, uh, I, well, you see, I GOTTA GO!" She yelped, sprinting away with Summer hot on her heels, yelling for her stepdaughter to 'get back here!'

"Well. That was a thing, I guess." Kin tried, finishing his lunch and moving on to the orange galette. He hummed appreciatively, "This is good. Junko, you've gotta try this."

"Hm? Hey, lemme get some." She plucked the galette slice off of his plate, took a bite like it was a slice of pizza, and hummed as she put it back on the plate, "Mmmm~ This is delicious. I gotta get more later." Kin just sat there, blushing as he began to eat the parts of the galette Junko had bitten into.

"Er, Kin? Are...you sure you should-"

"Mom always told me not to waste food..." Kin reasoned, though he would refuse to meet Makoto's look as he ate. Junko, meanwhile, calmly ate her lunch as she internally screamed at herself, while Makoto and Sayaka just tried to ignore what had just happened.

Though Sayaka couldn't help but lean over and whisper to Makoto "Does this count as an indirect kiss?"

Makoto could only manage a tired "Oy vey..."

* * *

"That arrogant, stupid, pathetic upstart," Weiss grumbled, dressed in a pale blue nightie as she got ready for bed. Besides her, her team leader, as much as it still felt kind of bad to think of Ruby like that (No, she stopped herself from feeling disgust. She had promised herself to be better, after all. For Ruby, and for the team.), was lounging on the bed, studying for an upcoming test, a mug of hot and creamy coffe besides her. Weiss was trying to study with Ruby as well, but her mind still kept her furious at the black-haired girl who had first slit the neck of an Ursa, an URSA, like it was nothing, before loudly insulting her and most of the Hunter population in one fell swoop during lunch.

Suffice to say, she was...angry, to say the least. And anger led to distraction.

"I cannot believe the nerve of that girl, saying such a thing. Hunters do not leap around like acrobats in a circus." She growled, strangling the air as Ruby gave her a worried look.

"Weiss? It's OK, there's no need to worry about what that girl said." Ruby tried to reason, in the hopes that Weiss would calm down. With Yang furious at Kin (now that she thought about it, Yang did seem angry during the ceremony when Task Force Elpis went on stage), Ruby was trying to calm Weiss down while Blake helped Yang. Though even she was a bit mad at what Mukuro had said.

"It's not that, Ruby! I spent so much effort trying to get into Beacon, fought tooth and nail to become a Huntress-in-Training, and she just insults it like it's nothing! It's a little harsh to me, at least." Weiss retorted, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Hey, I get it too, Weiss. What she said made me angry too, but being angry about it won't help. We should go out there and prove her wrong, you know?" Ruby grinned and put her fists on her hips, striking what could have been a kid's version of a pose, though she somehow made it look good, "Team RWBY will change her mind, show her that we aren't running around acting like a circus troupe!" Weiss couldn't help but smile at her leader's enthusiasm, before she paused.

"Speaking of Task Force Elpis, how _does_ your sister know of that girl Kin?" Ruby paused, looking confused for a few seconds.

"You know, she never did tell me..."

"...Well, we can always pester her until she tells us." Ruby grinned at this, nodding eagerly, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"I have the best weapon to use against her." She positively _purred_ , bouncing on her bed a little.

* * *

"You didn't have to be so harsh to that girl, you know." Makoto lightly said as he checked Mukuro over for wounds, the soldier lightly scoffing a bit as she let Makoto check her, lightly blushing all the while. The combat class had led to a confrontation between Mukuro and the girl from before, Weiss Schnee. While Mukuro hadn't been hit, leaving Weiss to suffer a near-humiliating defeat, she had been nearly hit a few times, and Makoto had insisted on checking to see if she was hurt. Mukuro wasn't sure if Makoto was a mother hen, orthat protective of his teammates (even Junko, for some reason), but she wasn't complaining.

Though she couldn't help but snicker at the sight of Sayaka sulking in the corner while claring at her, Kin awkwardly patting her on the back and trying to comfort the idol.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't have been so harsh on her," Mukuro answered, "But back on Earth, I lost a good amount of comrades on the battlefield because they spent time fooling around, or trying out new tricks. Ambushes and stupid decisions led to their deaths, and I'm going to basically be a soldier against a supernatural enemy this time." She looked to her side, before contiuing in a soft voice, "I don't want to lose my allies anymore."

Makoto sighed and swiftly hugged Mukuro to comfort her, not noticing how Sayaka stiffened, and Mukuro blushed immensely, her eyes twitching, "Don't worry, Mukuro. We can help them. I have a feeling things are going to change around here." Mukuro smiled softly as Makoto pulled away, and hurried over to check over Sayaka for any injuries, fretting over her as Junko walked over to Mukuro.

"...So, did you like the hug?" She hugged as she watched Makoto look over a blushing Sayala and grinning a bit.

"I loved it-wait, Nee-chan, what do you mean?" Mukuro frantically changed the topic, speaking a bit.

"Oh, nothing, nothing..."

* * *

 **A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.**

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.**

 _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH.**_

 **I fucking hate college apps.**

 **Anyways, yay, finished, finally. Pain. Suffering. Owie.**

 **Anyways, you might have noticed, you probably did, who are we kidding, but there are less reactions from the People on Earth here. This chapter was to focus primarily on how Class 78 was settling in, so I cut back on the reactions to focus more on that.**

 **As you might have also noticed, I've been following Task Force Elpis exlusively for a while. This will change. Starting next chapter, I will begin to follow all Task Forces, and teams RWBY and JNPR throughout the story. I might also add some new members to the Class 78 families, from those from the dead Student Council, murder victims, and more. In fact, one of them has already joined the group. Can you guess who?**

 **Anyways, now Mukuro and Kin have rivals, in the forms of Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao-Long! With the additions of Summer having returned, and the new Field Survival class, how will this affect Team RWBY? Will there be more rivalries? (Yes. Yes there will.)**

 **Before the chapter ends, here's a little omake to celebrate Valentine's Day:**

* * *

Omake: Shot Through the Heart

It was Valentine's Day in Beacon. Cards were being exchanged left and right, bouqets and serenades delivered from one to another, sweet nothings and honeyed promises proclaimed between lovers and couples. Yes, love was in the air.

Junko Enoshima fucking hated it.

Valentine's Day was boring. It was filled with careful planning and hasty pickup lines, and all this stupid fretting over what to wear, and where to go, and yadda yadda yadda. For fuck's sake, just strip and bang. Wasn't like their relationship would last anyways, bar a select few.

Further down the hallway, she spotted Nee-san and American Idol fighting over who would give Makoto a Valentine. Meanwhile, Chihiro was squished between a hug sandwich consisting of him, Mondo and Ishimaru. Color her impressed, the three were in a poly relationship. Surprisingly, she was rooting for that relationship to last, if only so she could break it up herself.

Let's see...Otaku Doughboy hugging another of his body pillows, Fake Bitch gambling away a chance to kiss her (holy cow, that was a long line), Balls-for-Brains flirting with almost every damn girl in sight. It was just depressing sight after depressing sight after depressing sight.

Gods, she could feel the hormones just swarming the air.

As she walked down the hallway, roaming the building (classes were canceled after some freak accident with Dust, coffee grounds, and the entire Beacon facility. The last time Junko saw them, they smelled like dark roast coffee and perfume,)) she felt a tap on her shoulder, and nearly scoffed in disgust. Great. She hadn't even made it to the cafeteria yet, and already, someone was going to try their luck at being their Valentine. She turned around, and opened her mouth...

….Which remained open at the sight of Kin Sakana grinning cheekily as he held out a bag of chocolates and a heart-shaped card towards her. She idly noted that the chocolates had an odd gun shape to them, the bag saying the lyrics of Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name'.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Junko~" He said, handing her the gifts and skipping off. Junko just watched him go, a strangled scream in her throat. Once he was out of sight, her voice slowly building into an "eeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEE-"

"EEEEEEEEEEE." Kin squeaked, a loud gasp from his chest as he walked away, and a deep blush on his face, "Oh my Gods, I actually did it." He turned towards his supporter, nodidng at him happily, "Thanks, man."

Makoto Naegi just grinned and offered a fistbump, which Kin happily accepted, "No problem, Kin. Noooo problem."

* * *

 _Shot through the heart, and you're to blame,_

 _you give love, a bad name._

* * *

 **And that's the actual end of the chapter! Polls are still open, vote now and vote quickly!**

 **No questions to answer, but if you have any, either put them in the reviews, or just PM me!**

 **And with that, this is Gold Magikarp signing off! Happy Valentine's Day, guys!**


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